A U.S. crackdown on money laundering has been dealt a setback after the Treasury Department froze all recruitment by its anti-money laundering arm and forced the agency to rescind 11 job offers in the fallout of an investigation that found the division violated the federal employment code during an aggressive hiring push, according to several government officials. The hiring freeze at the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN, and further investigations into its practices could deal at least a short-term setback to its push to aggressively crack down on money laundering. The Office of Personnel Management, a federal agency that governs labor practices in the government, determined that FinCEN illegally screened candidates in a quest to hire only lawyers for certain jobs, the officials said. It has recommended further investigations by two other federal agencies into FinCEN's practices, they added. Rules for hiring at government agencies make it illegal to screen candidates
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