How a Secret Chinese Barter Arrangement Helps Iran Skirt U.S. Sanctions
China has quietly built a financial workaround allowing it to keep paying for Iranian oil despite sweeping U.S. sanctions, according to new reporting by The Wall Street Journal.
Geographic
As Illegal Gold Mining Grows in the Western Hemisphere, So Do AML Risks
Illegal gold mining has grown into one of the Western Hemisphere’s largest and fastest‑expanding illicit economies, out‑earning narcotics in parts of Colombia and Peru and pushing conflict‑linked gold toward U.S. ports and banks.
Report Alleges Trump’s Ambassador Shielded Bukele From Investigation
A previously undisclosed report by the Inspector General for the U.S. State Department and officials interviewed by ProPublica allege that former Ambassador to El Salvador Ronald D. Johnson protected Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele from American and Salvadoran law enforcement efforts.
Money Laundering Tied to Pig-Butchering Scams is Increasingly Sophisticated, Report Finds
Pig-butchering schemes have scaled into a multibillion-dollar criminal industry, according to a new report by blockchain analytics firm Elliptic cited by CoinDesk.
U.S. Drug Prosecutions Fall to Decades Low as Money-Laundering Cases Plummet: Report
U.S. federal prosecutions for drug crimes have fallen to their lowest level in decades this year after the Trump administration redirected agents to immigration enforcement, according to a Reuters analysis.
OFAC Takes Aim at Financial Facilitators Aiding Iran’s Military
OFAC sanctioned two Iranian financial facilitators and more than a dozen individuals and entities based in Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates for moving funds that allegedly benefited Iran’s military.
EU Weighs Sanctions on Chinese Refineries Linked to Russia
The European Commission is preparing to target several independent Chinese refineries in its forthcoming sanctions package against Russia, Reuters reported, citing unnamed EU officials.
Mexico Launches Crackdown on Cross-Border Fuel Theft
Mexico’s attorney general has vowed to issue more arrest warrants—potentially targeting government officials—in connection with sprawling fuel theft operations that siphon billions of dollars from the country.
OFAC Blacklists Cyber Scammers in Southeast Asia
The U.S. Treasury Department on Monday blacklisted 19 entities linked to large cyber-scam compounds in Southeast Asia that have targeted Americans in romance and cryptocurrency-investment swindles.
JPMorgan to Pay $330 Million to Resolve 1MDB Case in Malaysia
JPMorgan Chase will pay $330 million to the government of Malaysia to settle claims that it facilitated the processing of $800 million in fraudulent transactions linked to the looting of Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund, 1MDB.