Trial of PEP from Equatorial Guinea for money laundering in France

Tweet Equatorial Guinea trial Teodorin Obiang, the son of the President of Equatorial Guinea, is being prosecuted in France for allegedly laundering the proceeds of corruption in France. Mr. Obiang is also the Vice-President of Equatorial Guinea and is a politically exposed person. His trial is scheduled for June 2017. He is accused of bringing […]

Backpage.com CEO & shareholders criminally charged with money laundering

Tweet CEO & Shareholders Charged The Attorney General of California announced today that her office has filed new criminal charges against the CEO of Backpage.com and two of its controlling shareholders, charging them with 26 counts of money laundering and 13 counts of pimping children out for prostitution in connection with the website Backpage.com. According […]

US indicts foreign national for laundering money from Iran through Canada, US, Korea and parking it in expensive real estate

Tweet The US federal government has filed an indictment against a foreign national, Kenneth Zong, who resided in the US for allegedly laundering over $1 billion from Iran through Canada, the US and a number of other countries in violation of international sanctions law that prohibit providing financial services to Iranian foreign nationals in Iran […]

Canada a major money laundering country with concern from China and Pakistan noted, according to US Annual Narcotics Control Strategy Report

Tweet 1. Canada a Major Money Laundering Country The 2016 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (“INCSR“) published in March 2016 by the U.S. Department of State identifies Canada as a “major money laundering country” along with, among others, Afghanistan, Brazil, BVI, Cayman Islands, Cambodia, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, Guernsey, Jersey, Hong Kong, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Mexico, Macau […]

Iran renews calls for the deportation of Khavari

Tweet The requested deportation of Mahmoud Reza Khavari, a former Iranian foreign national, and a Canadian citizen living in Toronto, seems to be at the centre of the arrest of a Canadian professor from Montreal, Homa Hoodfar, also an Iranian foreign national and equally a Canadian citizen, who was visiting Iran. Professor Hoodfar was arrested […]

A banker’s update on terrorist financing and money laundering from the US Committee on Homeland Security

Tweet Summary of the Updates The US House Committee on Homeland Security released a number of updates and received testimony on the status of terrorist financing, terrorism and money laundering in the last few weeks with some interesting developments relevant to banks in terms of changes in terrorist financing typologies that should be added to […]

US amends anti-money laundering law for beneficial ownership after Panama Papers, including to detect purchases of expensive real estate with illicit money

Tweet Panama Papers Driven Changes The US Treasury has announced several amendments, and proposed legislative amendments, to its anti-money laundering (“AML“) legislation in the wake of the Panama Papers scandal to tackle the disclosure of what is called “beneficial ownership.” Beneficial ownership means the beneficial, as opposed to the legal, owner of shares of a […]

Developer sued for taking proceeds of crime from foreign nationals

Tweet New York real estate developer being sued for $18 billion for accepting alleged proceeds of corruption from foreigners who were known PEPs According to an article yesterday in the Wall Street Journal, real estate developers in New York are being sued for accepting proceeds of corruption from politically exposed persons (PEP). The plaintiffs are […]

Structuring – How Moving Funds from China to Vancouver Often Mirrors How Columbian Drug Lords Move their Money

Tweet How is Some Money Moved from China? Often with Smurfs and Structuring. I am often asked how Chinese foreign nationals who have immigrated to the US, China, or EU, or are attempting to, move millions of dollars in funds to other countries unimpeded when there are Chinese banking regulations (commonly called currency controls) that […]

Nigeria says US$150 billion stolen from state coffers in 10 years by politically exposed persons

Tweet Whopping $150 Billion Stolen from Nigeria in 10 Years Nigeria’s new President, Muhammadu Buhari, today said that the government believes that its officials have stolen approximately US$150 billion from the state in the past ten years.  In anti-money laundering law, high ranking government officials with access to state property and assets are politically exposed persons […]