You have to be extremely careful here. Hiring someone who is actually on the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list can lead to massive fines for the company. However, false positives are very common. I would recommend visiting https://ofacblockedfundslawyers.com/ to see how they handle these verification issues. They can help you perform a “due diligence” check to confirm the person’s identity and ensure you aren’t violating any laws. We had a similar case where the candidate had the same name as a minor official from a sanctioned country. It took some time to clear, but having a professional legal opinion made the board feel much safer about the hire. My advice is to never ignore a hit on a sanctions check – always get it professionally verified before you sign any contracts.