House Republicans Vote to Roll Back U.S. Beneficial Owner Reporting
A Republican-led U.S. House committee voted on Tuesday to advance legislation that would exempt American limited liability companies and other businesses from reporting on their beneficial owners under the Corporate Transparency Act.
Moldovan Oligarch Heads to Prison for Role in ‘Theft of the Century’
A Moldovan court on Wednesday sentenced oligarch and former political leader Vladimir Plahotniuc to 19 years in prison for his role in a massive bank fraud scheme that siphoned funds from three lenders in 2014.
UK Shuts Down Illegal Crypto Trading Operations in London
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and other UK authorities shut down eight sites across London as part of a crackdown on illegal peer-to-peer crypto trading, the agency announced on Wednesday.
Suspicious Gamblers Laundered Up to $144mn in Sydney Mega Club
Mounties, one of Australia’s largest club groups, allowed 13 customers to launder as much as A$226 million ($144 million) through poker machines over five years.
DOJ Hits Southern Poverty Law Center with Financial-Crime Charges
The U.S. Justice Department indicted the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) on charges that the civil-rights organization fraudulently paid informants inside extremist groups and concealed those payments with bank accounts opened for nonexistent companies.
Republicans Threaten FinCEN’s Budget over Corporate Transparency Rule
U.S. House Republicans are threatening to block all funding for the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) until the agency finalizes a rule requiring companies to report beneficial ownership information.
Brazil’s PCC Has Grown from a Prison Gang to a Cocaine Superpower
Brazil’s First Capital Command, or PCC, has expanded from a prison gang founded in Sao Paulo state in 1993 into what authorities describe as the largest criminal group in the Americas, with some 40,000 members and affiliates operating in nearly 30 countries.
Congo to Restrict USD Transactions in Bid to Leave FATF Gray List
The Democratic Republic of Congo will begin restricting cash transactions in U.S. dollars from next April in an effort to curb money laundering, strengthen oversight of the financial system, and rebuild confidence in the Congolese franc.
Ex-Swedbank CEO’s 2024 Conviction Overturned by Swedish Supreme Court
Sweden’s Supreme Court has acquitted former Swedbank chief executive Birgitte Bonnesen, overturning the only prison conviction handed to a senior Nordic banker in connection with one of Europe’s biggest money-laundering scandals.
Cambodia’s Scam Economy Now Rivals Its Formal One
Cybercrime syndicates operating in Cambodia have grown so large and politically connected that the industry now rivals the country’s formal economy, with online scam networks accused of corrupting officials, enslaving workers, and defrauding victims around the world.