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Lack of New U.S. Sanctions Allows Restricted Goods and Funds Into Russia.  President Trump has issued no new restrictions on Russia this year, in effect allowing Moscow to acquire the money and materials it needs in its conflict with Ukraine. NYT

Britain’s FBI sends red alert on shady Russian Shadow Fleet Daily Mail

Colombia seizes first unmanned narco-submarine with Starlink antenna AFP

Operation Mongolian Beef: Dozens arrested after violent shootout between rival Florida biker gangs Fox

Thrown from the balcony, stabbed in the street: Switzerland suspects Iran killed 3 of its diplomats YNET

Iran suspends cooperation with UN nuclear watchdog IAEA AP

Liquidators File $2.7B Lawsuit Against Standard Chartered Bank Over 1MDB Role WSJ

Russian bulletproof hosting service Aeza Group sanctioned by U.S. Dark Reading

Qantas cyber hack could have stolen ‘significant’ amount of data from six million customers CNN

Trump adds at least $620M to his net worth thanks to crypto investments NYP

Elizabeth Warren Calls for Bribery Investigation Into Paramount-Trump Settlement Hollywood Reporter

Mexican banks face cascading consequences following U.S. sanctions AP

Obama’s Trump-Russia collusion report was corrupt from start NYP

🚩 RUSSIA & CHINA

Tribunal in waiting: Why the special body set up to prosecute Russia’s crime of aggression cannot touch Vladimir Putin — for now The Insider

U.S. Drops Sanctions on Russian Oligarch, Chess Champion Ilyumzhinov KP

EU’s Putin Fan Club Secures Sanctions Win CEPA

Quad countries agree to diversify critical mineral supplies amid China concerns Guardian

2 Chinese arrested in U.S. for espionage for spying on naval base SCMP

Adult entertainment industry payments used to evade Russian sanctions Globe and Mail

💣 TERROR

Mexico City attorney pleads guilty to laundering money for Sinaloa Cartel through San Diego shell companies ABC

Mexican Authorities Arrest Colombian Mercenaries Building Explosives for Cartels Breitbart

She defended drug lord El Chapo – now, she’s running for office BBC

Two Utah men charged with supporting Mexican cartel designated as terrorist group Fox

Police bust major drug trafficking ring in Portugal, seizing cash and weapons Euronews

Police Suspect Brazilian Singer Worked With Cocaine Traffickers OCCRP

💸 CORRUPTION & FINANCIAL CRIME

Turkey detains 120 opposition officials including former mayor AP

Two soccer bribery convictions reinstated by U.S. appeals court Reuters

Costa Rica’s top court seeks to strip President Chaves’ immunity over corruption case AP

Michigan attorney general investigating company promoting ‘twin flame’ romance AP

🔐 CRYPTO & CYBER

Ransomware gang attacks German charity that feeds starving children Record

DOJ’s $225M Seizure Puts Human Cost of Crypto Scams in Focus CoinDesk

Hacker with ‘political agenda’ stole data from Columbia Record

DOJ investigates ex-ransomware negotiator over extortion kickbacks BC

China-linked hackers spoof big-name brand websites to steal shoppers’ payment info Record

Tornado Cash founder nears $2M legal fund goal ahead of trial Protos

🚚 TRAFFICKING 

Diddy denied bail after mixed verdict clears him of top charges in sex crimes case AP

App that allows people to share ICE sightings gets boost in downloads after White House backlash NBC

Son of notorious cartel leader “El Chapo” to plead guilty in U.S. CBS

700 pounds of meth found in cucumbers USAT

 


ILLICIT EDGE PODCASTS

🎙 FinCrime Unfiltered with Sarah Beth Felix
🎙 Designated with Yaya Jata Fanusie
🎙 Coercive Capital with Elaine Dezenski

 


VIDEOS

 


INFLUENCERS

Kim Zetter / Brian Krebs / Nicole Perlroth /
Josh Rogin / Ellen Nakashima / Matt Levitt /
Clarissa Ward / Gary Kasparov / Joseph Cox / Mark Dubowitz
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya / Bill Browder / Jen Easterly /
Zack Kopplin / Laura Shin / Dmitri Alperovitch / Tom Keatinge
Catherine Belton / Nazanin Boniadi / Chris Krebs /
Kevin Hall / Farnaz Fassihi / Kevin Collier / Patrick Howell O’Neill /
Michael McFaul / Jonathan Schanzer / Catalin Cimpanu /
Liza Lin / Enes Kanter FREEDOM / Bianna Golodryga

 


RESOURCES

Financial Action Task Force /
Egmont Group /
Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project /
International Consortium of Investigative Journalists /
Money Laundering Watch/

C4ADS /
Combating Terrorism Center /
Royal United Services Institute /

 


IN OTHER NEWS

Don’t Let Sanctions Against Iran Lapse.  Presciently, President Trump instructed his administration in February to “work with key allies to complete the snapback of international sanctions and restrictions on Iran.” National Review

U.S. insurance giant Aflac says customers’ personal data stolen during cyberattack TC

UK Bans Palestine Action Group as terror organization Politico

Telegram Purged Chinese Crypto Scam Markets – Then Watched as They Rebuilt Wired

Two sides of the same ruble: The Russian currency’s recent strength isn’t likely to last — and it’s already hurting the country’s economy The Insider

Italy has frozen Russian oligarchs’ assets worth over $2.6B Reuters

FATF Identifies Jurisdictions with AML/CFT and Counter-Proliferation Finance Deficiencies FinCEN

Funeral scams: ‘It’s hard to imagine a more callous form of fraud’ Guardian

Ex-TV news anchor Stephanie Hockridge convicted in massive scheme to fraudulently obtain COVID relief funds NYP

Huawei’s new laptop uses older China-made chip, U.S. curbs stall SMIC Reuters

ZachXBT slams Bitcoin bridge Garden Finance for laundering hacked funds Cointelegraph

New INTERPOL report warns of sharp rise in cybercrime in Africa Interpol

Bank hacks, internet shutdowns and crypto heists: Here’s how the war between Israel and Iran is playing out in cyberspace Politico

U.S. offering $10M for info on Iranian hackers behind IOControl malware.  The State Department is seeking information on Iranian hackers targeting critical infrastructure using a strain of malware deployed against industrial control systems. Record

Iranian news site confirms banking issues due to cyberattack after hacking claim TOI 

Europe-wide takedown hits longest-standing dark web drug market Europol

Trump hints at no more U.S. sanctions on Russia at G7 summit Politico

UK announces new sanctions against Russia Reuters

Schumer Requests $600k in Taxpayer Funds for Left-Wing Group Accused of Training
Illegal Immigrants To Avoid ICE
Free Beacon 

Many Exporters No Longer Want Dollars Bloomberg

Venezuelan National and U.S. Citizen Arrested for Sanctions Evasion and Smuggling DOJ

CFTC secures Court order directing Agridime to pay $103M in restitution FX News

$124M armored truck crypto money laundering operation busted Tom’s

Crypto Tycoon Justin Sun’s Tron Group to Go Public in U.S. via Reverse Merger WSJ

Corruption scandals put Spain’s Sánchez under pressure to call snap elections Politico

US targets Los Chapitos money laundering network in Mazatlán run by a businessman and makeup artist El País

🚩 RUSSIA & CHINA

Hungary and Slovakia set to block EU’s fresh Russia sanction package Euro News 

Canadian Government Imposes Sanctions on Russian Conductor Valery Gergiev Violin Channel

Ford Still Scrambling to Get Rare-Earth Magnets WSJ 

Texas governor signs bill banning Chinese citizens from buying property in the state SCMP

Prosecutors Seek 14.5-Year Prison Sentence for Ex-Deputy Defense Minister Ivanov MT

China’s first counterterror chief Liu Yuejin receives suspended death sentence for bribery SCMP

Swiss Coach’s Controversial Move to CSKA Moscow Risks Violating Sanctions MT

Chinese medicine chief Yu Wenming caught in corruption crackdown SCMP

Obscure Chinese Stock Scams Dupe American Investors by the Thousands WSJ

China Is Unleashing a New Export Shock on the World NYT

Trump Officials Weighed Broader China Tech Restrictions Ahead of Trade Talks WSJ

Chinese woman schemes to make $1.4M by living with rich men, looting luxury homes SCMP

💸 CORRUPTION & FINANCIAL CRIME

Switzerland fines Pictet for money laundering, sentences former employee Reuters

LA County executives sentenced for faulty dehumidifiers linked to more than 450 fires CBS News

$124M armored truck crypto money laundering operation busted Tom’s

DOJ Declines Prosecution of Private Equity Firm Following Voluntary Disclosure of Sanctions Violations DOJ

These Destinations Have the Highest Levels of Travel Fraud, According to Mastercard
Travel + Leisure

🔐 CRYPTO & CYBER

Expert warns of ‘war of codes’ after Iranian crypto exchange gets hacked Fox

FTX lawyers say 3AC’s $1.5 billion claim ‘defies logic’ and should be tossed Block

WhatsApp banned on House staffers’ devices Axios

Fiserv debuts bank-friendly stablecoin as fintechs join digital dollar race CNBC

The stablecoin evangelist: Katie Haun’s fight for digital dollars TC

Canada says Salt Typhoon hacked telecom firm via Cisco flaw Bleepingcomputer

Steel giant Nucor confirms hackers stole data in recent breach Bleepingcomputer

🚚 TRAFFICKING 

DHS Flip-Flops Again on TACO Trump’s Immigration Raids Daily Beast

Grooming gangs in UK thrived in ‘culture of ignorance’ Guardian

Cops remove 88 children from a Bible study camp in Iowa NYP

G7 to explore possible sanctions on criminals linked to migrant smuggling Reuters

 


COMPLIANCE TOOLBOX

How a top Chinese AI model overcame US sanctions MIT

Taskforce on Public-Private Partnership in Fighting Financial Crime in Ukraine RUSI

The Digital Asset Ecosystem in El Salvador: Challenges and Risks to Countercheck Financial Global Financial Integrity

Money Laundering from Environmental Crime: Typologies and Trends in Countries in the Amazon Region Fact Coalition

INTERPOL Financial Fraud assessment: A global threat boosted by technology Interpol

Sanctions by the Numbers: Comparing the Trump and Biden Administrations’ Sanctions and Export Controls on China CNAS

The threats posed by the global shadow fleet—and how to stop it Atlantic Council

Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)

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Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN)

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State Department

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Department of Justice

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Commerce Department

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Securities and Exchange Commission

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Federal Bureau of Investigation

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Office of the Comptroller of the Currency

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Federal Trade Commission

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HM Treasury

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United Nations

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Interpol

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