Robert Villaseñor, new general counsel at MoneyGram/courtesy photo

MoneyGram International Inc. has named interim general counsel Robert Villaseñor to the permanent position as well as corporate secretary.

Villaseñor has served in those posts at the Dallas-based money transfer company since October, when former general counsel Aaron Henry left to become chief legal officer at CoreLogic Inc., also in the Dallas area. Villaseñor previously served as Henry's associate general counsel since joining MoneyGram in July 2018.

MoneyGram chairman and CEO Alex Holmes said in a statement, "Robert has proven to be a valuable asset to MoneyGram throughout the recent evolution of our capital structure and as we continue to execute on our digital transformation. His knowledge of our business combined with his prior experience, including working at consumer-centric global brands like Starbucks, will help ensure MoneyGram is well-positioned as we continue to evolve our company."

Villaseñor, who was not immediately available for comment, previously worked at three other public companies, including Starbucks Corp., Lennox International Inc., and Celanese Corp. He also worked in private practice at Hunton & Williams; Davis Polk & Wardwell; and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He graduated cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School.

As general counsel, he takes on a host of legal issues at a company struggling to become profitable again. Its latest financial filing covering the third quarter of 2019 showed a $7.7 million loss, an improvement from the nearly $21 million loss for the same quarter the year before.

The most notable legal headache for Villaseñor is navigating an extended deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, which accused the company of knowingly aiding and abetting wire fraud and willfully failing to implement an effective anti-money laundering program.

The original 2012 agreement was extended in 2018 for at least three more years after a whistleblower compliance lawyer said the company was violating terms of the deal. The revised deal included extending a corporate monitor's term and paying a $125 million penalty, in which the final $55 million must be paid by May 8.

Other legal issues facing Villaseñor, according to recent financial reporting statements, include:

• Class action and shareholder derivative lawsuits over alleged compliance failures relating to the extension of the prosecution agreement.
• A related ongoing inquiry by the New York Department of Financial Services.
• An inquiry by the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control of possible violations of sanctions regulations. The inquiry is based on a voluntary self-disclosure filed by MoneyGram.
• A workforce reduction of 70 to 90 jobs by the end of the first quarter of 2020.
• A fight in the U.S. Tax Court with the Internal Revenue Service challenging the disallowance of some tax deductions. MoneyGram paid the taxes but is trying to win a refund. If it were to lose the case, the company has said it could owe an additional $20 million in state taxes.