---
category: BCCI Scandal
summary: Gerald Lewis was the Florida state comptroller who refused to renew BCCI's
  license to operate in the state after the 1990 Tampa money-laundering conviction.
tags:
- Person
- BCCI
---

Gerald Lewis was the [Florida](/places/florida/) state comptroller who refused to renew [BCCI](/organizations/bank-of-credit-and-commerce-international/)'s license to operate in the state after the 1990 Tampa money-laundering conviction.[^1]
### Role in BCCI Regulation

Lewis's decision to shut down BCCI's operations in Florida was a direct response to the bank's money-laundering conviction. He received letters from [Charles Saphos](/people/charles-saphos/), Chief of the Criminal Division Narcotics section of the [Department of Justice](/organizations/department-of-justice/), requesting that BCCI be allowed to remain open.[^2] Lewis, however, maintained that the bank had to comply with all legal requirements, including those related to felony convictions.[^3]

Lewis's actions ultimately led to the closure of BCCI's branches in Florida.[^4]

[^1]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 10.
[^2]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 88.
[^3]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 375.
[^4]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 374.