Synopsis
Intended for anyone interested in learning about the basic concepts of international crime and money laundering, this timely text explains money laundering terms and phrases; an overview of relevant federal agencies, transnational criminal organizations, and basic investigatory techniques; the intricacies of wire transfers and cyberbanking; and the phenomenon of the World Wide Web.

From the Author
The "Who, What, Why, and Where" of Money Laundering!
This 300 page book was written by a law enforcement professional for other law enforcement professionals and those interested in international crime and money laundering -- students, auditors, bank regulators, prosecutors, and defense attorneys. It is a nuts-and-bolts look at the entire world of money laundering, organized in a simple, clean way. The first part of the book focuses on "The Bad Guys." These included the "Big Six" international criminal organizations, including the Mafia, Chinese Triads, Japanese Yakuza, Colombian Drug Cartels, the Mexican Federation, and the Russian "Mafiya." The second part of the book looks at money laundering basics, from the three steps (placement. layering, and integration), to the use of the internet and computers to launder money, to basic laundering schemes, and laundering in the banking sector and laundering through "non-bank financial institutions" such as casinos, securities firms, casas de cambio, and insurance companies. The third part of the book looks at "The Good Guys," the U.S. federal agencies involved in the ongoing battle against international crime, drug trafficking, and money laundering, as well as the banking and financial sector regulatory agencies. Part 4 looks at the tools available to these agencies -- the money laundering and banking statutes, the RICO statute, the asset forfeiture statutes -- as well as law enforcement operations and investigative techniques. Finally, the fifth part of the book focuses on the "World Stage," with descriptions of a number of international regulatory and law enforcement agencies and detailed reviews of the major "money laundering nations" of Canada, Mexico, Panama, Colombia, and Russia. The book concludes with short, but thorough, descriptions of 50 other nations. All five parts of the book include interesting quotes and facts to illustrate the points being made, and I have tried, as much as possible, to keep the book as interesting and informative as possible.Why did I choose this format? There are lots of books, papers, and reports out there . . . some on money laundering, written by academics or lawyers, intended for academics or lawyers. Other books cover computers and cybercrime, but are written by computer experts and are (believe me) better left for the consumption of other computer experts! What I have tried to do is put all of the pieces together -- banking, money laundering basics, international criminal organizations -- in a national and international context and in a style that anyone can understand.I hope you enjoy the book . . . I have lectured on these subjects in Russia (with the Treasury Department's Federal Law Enforcement Training Center), at Harvard University, and for the Massachusetts State Police. These materials have formed the basis for all of my talks. I know that you will find them helpful.

First Sentence
Where criminals and criminal organizations are limited only by their imagination, local and national law-enforcement agencies have always been limited to combating crime by the confines of the law and their particular geographic jurisdiction. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
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