Former Senior U.S. Government Officials Launch Beatrice & Asuncion, a National Security Law Firm

WASHINGTON, Oct. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- M. Jeffrey Beatrice and Anthony Asuncion, former senior officials with the U.S. Departments of Commerce and Justice, today announced the launch of Beatrice & Asuncion PLLC, a Washington, D.C. law firm focused on export controls and enforcement, sanctions, and ICTS, as well as internal investigations and voluntary self-disclosures. The firm also includes Philip R. Kuhn, a former Special Agent with Commerce's Office of Export Enforcement (OEE), who serves as Director of Investigations, and Debra S.P. Cheng, Of Counsel, a veteran in-house global trade lawyer.

Beatrice previously served as Acting Chief Counsel in Commerce's Office of Chief Counsel for Industry and Security (OCCIS), advising the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) on enforcement and regulatory matters. He led BIS's Enforcement and Litigation Division and served for more than 15 years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Washington, D.C. He also served as General Counsel for Anti-Money Laundering at Citigroup.

Asuncion previously served as Chief of the Policy, Legislation & Regulation Division at OCCIS, where he led regulatory and policy work involving the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). He later helped build and implement the government's Information and Communications Technology and Services (ICTS) program and helped lead the first prohibition issued under the program. At Justice, Asuncion served as Deputy Chief of the Counterterrorism Section and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, where he served in the National Security Section and as the office's Export Control Coordinator.

Kuhn brings three decades of federal investigative and national security experience, including more than 20 years with Commerce's Office of Export Enforcement. He served as Assistant Special Agent in Charge of OEE's Washington Field Office and later as Deputy Director of the Export Enforcement Coordination Center (E2C2).

Cheng brings a complementary in-house perspective, shaped by senior roles at Salesforce, where she served as Senior Corporate Counsel and Director of Global Trade Programs, and at Caterpillar, where she served as Corporate Counsel for International Trade and advised on export controls, sanctions, antiboycott requirements, and related compliance matters.

"Clients facing high-stakes national security and enforcement matters need more than answers about what the rules say," said Beatrice. "They need seasoned judgment and an understanding of how the government thinks about these matters, how they unfold, what drives decision-making, and how they are resolved."

"We built this firm around a combination of experience that is difficult to replicate," said Asuncion. "Jeff and I have each handled export control and national security matters at both Commerce and Justice. Our team adds senior investigative leadership from the Office of Export Enforcement and deep in-house experience navigating complex trade compliance challenges. Together, that experience spans the full lifecycle of national security regulation and enforcement: helping to develop and implement the rules, advising companies, investigating violations, bringing enforcement actions, prosecuting cases, and seeing matters through to fair and principled resolution."

About Beatrice & Asuncion PLLC

Beatrice & Asuncion PLLC is a Washington, D.C. boutique focused on export controls and enforcement, sanctions, and ICTS, as well as internal investigations, voluntary self-disclosures, and related national security matters. For more information, visit beatriceasuncion.com.

Media Contact: Anthony Asuncion | 202-656-5794 | [email protected]

SOURCE Beatrice & Asuncion PLLC