BSF is representing Mayaniquel, a mining company affected by the U.S. Treasury Department Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctions, imposed in late 2022, that shut down Guatemala's nickel mines.
On behalf of Mayaniquel, BSF co-founder Jonathan Schiller and partner Thomas Sosnowski sued Guatemalan lawyer Juan Pablo Carrasco de Groote in Florida state court in Miami. The lawsuit alleges that Carrasco’s tortious conduct, including Carrasco’s false statement that Mayaniquel and a different Guatemalan mine were under common ownership, led to OFAC sanctions against Mayaniquel. This led to the shutdown of Mayaniquel, which caused the loss of over a thousand Guatemalan jobs, and the economic destruction of the mine’s community.
After more than a year, OFAC conceded that Mayaniquel “does not meet the criteria for [sanctions] designation” and rescinded the sanctions against it. The lawsuit, Telf AG & Mayaniquel SA v. Juan Pablo Carrasco de Groote, Case No. 2024-003318-CA-01 (11th Judicial Circuit), seeks to hold Carrasco, and those who worked in concert with him, responsible for the economic harm they caused.
In a front-page Washington Post article about the shutdown of Guatemala’s nickel mines and the damage it caused, Jonathan is quoted as saying, “There is no relationship between Mayaniquel and [a different Guatemalan mine] whatsoever, beyond Russian names being in the management and ownership of the separate companies. That is uncontroverted.” He added, “If Treasury had picked up the phone and called, they would have found this out instantly.”
WASHINGTON POST: Washington Targeted ‘Corrupt’ Mines. Workers Paid the Greatest Price.