Treasury Urges Banks to Help Fight Illegal Immigration, Expands 314(b) Program
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Friday called on banks to serve as partners in the federal government’s effort to combat payroll fraud, labor exploitation, and other financial crimes tied to undocumented workers.
Head of Ukraine’s FIU Faces Embezzlement Probe
Officials from Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau searched the country’s State Financial Monitoring Service as part of an investigation into the agency’s head, Filip Pronin, a suspect in a multimillion-dollar embezzlement scheme.
Council of Europe Warns of Surge in Trafficking for Forced Criminality
Human trafficking for the purpose of forcing victims to commit crimes is rising across Europe and demands urgent government action to protect victims and prevent their prosecution, the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings said Friday in its 15th annual report.
U.S. Sanctions Cuba’s State Oil Company as U.N. Flags Rising Child Death Rate
The United States on Thursday sanctioned Union Cuba-Petroleo, Cuba’s state-owned oil and gas company, escalating the Trump administration’s pressure campaign against Havana under an executive order issued last month.
U.S. Charges 2 in Takedown of ‘AudiA6’ Crypto Laundering Service
U.S. prosecutors have charged two men based in the Republic of Georgia with running AudiA6, a cryptocurrency money laundering service alleged to have processed more than $389 million, following a coordinated international takedown of the operation’s infrastructure.
Isle of Man’s Online Gambling Boom Is Upended Amid Asian Scam Probe
The Isle of Man, which built online gambling into one of the largest pillars of its economy, is grappling with a sprawling scandal after one of its flagship licensees was linked to scam operations run from the island.
U.S. Formally Seeks Dismissal of Halkbank Sanctions Case
The U.S. Department of Justice formally asked a federal judge Wednesday to dismiss its criminal case against Halkbank, telling the court it has no intention of prosecuting the Turkish state-run lender.
Crime Groups Now Have Hands on Every Part of Global Gold Supply Chain
Criminal syndicates have embedded themselves so deeply in the global gold supply chain that the regulatory frameworks designed to contain them are fundamentally inadequate, according to a new report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC).
EU Proposes 21st Russia Sanctions Package, Targeting Banks and Crypto Networks
The European Union has proposed a sweeping 21st package of sanctions against Russia, with a record-setting wave of bank listings at its core and new measures targeting cryptocurrency platforms, oil traders, and shadow fleet vessels.
Chile Rethinks Bank Secrecy as Tren de Aragua Probe Points to Insider Recruitment
The arrest of bank employees with alleged ties to Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua criminal organization has reignited debate over Chile’s financial secrecy rules, which are among the most restrictive in the world.