Bribe, Swindle or Steal

New York Times reporter Ian Urbina discusses his excellent but grim series about crime and impunity on the high seas.

A 22-year veteran of Treasury and consultant to the Dept. of Justice, John Madinger sheds light on some of the money laundering schemes he has uncovered and why the Breaking Bad car wash scheme probably wouldn’t have worked.

Peter Humphrey and his wife were well-respected compliance professionals active in China when they were arrested, tried and imprisoned for two years.

Shaul Shalvi, a professor of behavioral ethics, describes how people convince themselves that their misconduct is OK.

Nima Elbagir and Raja Razek of CNN go undercover in Libya to expose a hellish, thriving slave trade. Their CNN story

Danielle Brian, Executive Director of the Project on Government Oversight—POGO—provides a brief and lively description of the history of US Inspectors General (IGs), their importance in ensuring government accountability and the recent worrying spate of terminations.

Paul Radu, co-founder and executive director of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), describes his team’s work in uncovering an international team of cash machine skimmers that ultimately skimmed hundreds of millions of dollars, largely from tourist hot spots.

TRACE’s Director of Compliance Resources, Illya Antonenko, looks back at the CCI case from 2009. Although a relatively small FCPA resolution financially, there are a number of interesting issues, including a corrupt corporate culture and reaching commercial bribery via the Travel Act.

Tess Davis, Executive Director of the Antiquities Coalition, describes how criminals use art and antiquities for corruption, to launder money and to fund terrorism. She also discusses the current legal state of play and how the public can be part of the solution.

Abigail Bellows with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace describes how a $5 million surcharge could be levied on FCPA enforcement actions and then deployed quickly to support incipient anti-corruption efforts worldwide. This would address, in part, concerns that the victims of corruption rarely benefit from the substantial sums involved in settlements.