SARs | Certain Risk

A photo from the Epstein files showing Jeffrey Epstein wearing a party cone hat that's askew while he sits at a table in robe looking off camera.

Pill-Popping and Pimping: Why Epstein & Friends Were the Subject of 40 SARs

The DEA opened a secret investigation into Jeffrey Epstein in 2015 on suspicions of money laundering, drug trafficking, and running a prostitution ring that procured Eastern European women for high-profile clients.

Photo of a sign of the Financial Conduct Authority

UK Oversight of Professional Services Falls Short on Enforcement

The UK’s current system of supervisors overseeing the anti-money-laundering (AML) programs of law firms, accountancies, and other professional bodies is failing to take “sufficiently dissuasive disciplinary measures” against those that fail to meet compliance standards, according to a new report.

TFI’s Hurley to Exit After Objecting to Minneapolis Crackdown

A senior Treasury Department official is preparing to resign after privately raising objections to a White House-backed initiative aimed at alleged fraud tied to the Somali immigrant community in Minnesota.

New Details Emerge on Epstein’s Dealings with Two Favored Banks

Newly released U.S. Justice Department emails and documents offer a deeper look at Jeffrey Epstein’s unusual relationship with JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Deutsche Bank AG courted, reports by Bloomberg and the Financial Times show.

A black-and-white view of the Charles Schwab office in Manhattan, with the sign edited to be gold — Attribution (CC BY-SA 4.0): “53rd St 6th Av td 19 - CBS Building.jpg” by Tdorante10, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution–ShareAlike 4.0 International. This version was edited using AI (the “Charles Schwab” sign was recolored to gold; the rest remains black-and-white).

Charles Schwab and the Palace Epstein Tried to Buy Days Before His Arrest

Long after his 2008 conviction for procuring a minor for prostitution and just days before his final arrest in 2019, Jeffrey Epstein had his eyes on a palace in Morocco. He wanted to buy it, but he needed help.

DOJ building entrance, Washington, DC — G. Edward Johnson, “DOJ entrance Washington DC 2025-02-07 13-27-05.jpg” (7 Feb 2025), Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Edited from the original (changes made).

Paxful to Pay $4 Million for Helping Sex Traffickers and Money Launderers

Paxful Holdings Inc., a peer-to-peer virtual currency trading platform, was sentenced on Tuesday to pay a $4-million criminal penalty after pleading guilty to conspiracies tied to illegal prostitution, anti-money-laundering failures and transmitting criminal proceeds.

Photo of Deutsche Bank's headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany. — “FRA Deutsche Bank.jpg” — Nordenfan, via Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) — Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FRA_Deutsche_Bank.jpg

Deutsche Bank Raid Focused on Same Years as Earlier BVI Probe

German authorities raided Deutsche Bank’s headquarters in Frankfurt and a separate office in Berlin as part of a money-laundering investigation linked to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich.

Jack Zhang, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Airwallex, Australia speaking in the Start-Ups in Austerity session at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2023 in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, 20 January. Congress Centre — Jack Zhang, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Airwallex, Attribution (CC-compliant): “World Economic Forum Annual Meeting” by World Economic Forum (credit: World Economic Forum/Sikarin Fon Thanachaiary), licensed under Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial–ShareAlike 2.0 (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0).

Airwallex Faces AML Audit over Concerns of Child Sex Abuse Funding

Australia’s financial intelligence unit has ordered Singapore-based Airwallex to review whether the payments giant has violated the nation’s anti-money laundering (AML) laws.

U.S. Virgin Islands, Department of Justice, Sexual Offender Registry Photograph of Jeffrey Epstein, edited

Senator Seeks Info on $378mn in BNY Wire Transfers Tied to Epstein

Sen. Ron Wyden, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, is pressing Bank of New York Mellon Corp. for details about $378 million in wire transfers the bank processed involving accounts linked to Jeffrey Epstein, according to a Bloomberg report.

National flag of India against a blue sky

India Tightens KYC and AML Rules for Crypto Exchanges

India’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) has rolled out stricter identity verification requirements for cryptocurrency exchanges, aiming to curb money laundering and terrorist financing, CoinDesk reported, citing Press Trust of India.