“Can you keep a secret?” How 5 different realtors in Canada agreed to launder proceeds of crime from Colombian narcotics activities for a criminal, in a Radio-Canada investigation

Tweet Radio-Canada, the French language version of the CBC, published an explosive investigative story here on March 26, 2020, as part of its Enquête series, where five realtors in Montréal each independently agreed to take proceeds of crime derived from Colombian narcotics activities from a buyer from Panama with a criminal record, on a hidden […]

US identifies Canada as major money laundering country, and notes concern over its low prosecution rate

Tweet Canada once again a Major Money Laundering country The 2019 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR) published on Friday by the U.S. Department of State identifies Canada once again as a major money laundering country along with a host of risky countries for financial crime. A major money laundering country is one whose banks […]

First unexplained wealth orders take effect in the UK against a non-UK person

Tweet The National Crime Agency in the UK has been granted the first set of Unexplained Wealth Orders (“UWO”) under the Criminal Finances Act, by the UK High Court requiring that an unnamed foreign national from Asia provide a written statement explaining how they obtained sufficient wealth to purchase property. The foreign national subject to the […]

Politically exposed Chinese foreign national pleads guilty to immigration fraud

Tweet Shilan Zhao (趙世蘭), the ex-wife of a Chinese official and a politically exposed person, has pleaded guilty to immigration fraud related to the EB5 investor visa program in the US and will serve a term of incarceration of five years. Zhao conspired with her husband, Jianjun Qiao (喬建軍), aka Feng Li, to immigrate to […]

US extends GTOs for tracking money laundering in real estate

Tweet The US Treasury has announced that it is extending its Geographical Targeting Orders to identify purchasers of luxury real estate properties in six areas in the US. The GTOs require title insurance companies to identify the natural persons behind shell companies used to pay all cash for high-end residential real estate. A Special Agent with […]

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 […]

US expands review of money laundering in real estate market

Tweet More scrutiny in US for real estate The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) announced that it is expanding its program to identify persons who may be hiding assets in residential properties in the US. The expansion adds additional cities to what are called the area for Geographic Targeting Orders (GTO). Title insurance agents in GTO […]

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 […]

Brazil’s former President, his wife and son charged with money laundering

Tweet Brazil’s former president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and his wife and son were charged with money laundering and identity fraud in connection with real estate purchases. According to Brazil’s prosecutor, the former president used proceeds of crime to acquire real estate in Guaruja for he and his family that was destined for regular families […]

French government concerned over potential money laundering with vineyard purchases

Tweet Tracfin report highlights money laundering In its annual money laundering report, France’s Traitement du Renseignement et Action Contre les Circuits Financiers Clandestins (“Tracfin“) expressed concern over money laundering risks associated with the sale of France’s most renowned wineries to investors from China, Hong Kong and Russia. The concern stems from the increase in suspicious […]