Money Laundering Books

John W. DeCamp is strongly motivated to pursue justness in this world which he discovers quite hard, or impossible to do. Because for most people it is harder to live with a painful truth than to snug comfortably in the corrupt system that our world leaders have fabricated (I don't mean the USA government alone; I am referring to all humans rich and powerful whatever their background or nationality) he faces a Sisyphus-like task. His story in particular reveals the dirty manipulations of politics, the dirty minds of moneymakers, the desperate courage of some, of whom several have died unexplained deaths. It makes me wonder whether we live in de Golden Age of Immorality. Anyway, the book is highly readable, certainly for those with a strong stomach.

The book was both informative and well documented for very shocking and somewhat disturbing subject matter. There was a great deal of detail to the point of too much but the author's closeness and passion for the case was evident. He left no stone unturned with vivid accounts and interviews of victims and who had first hand knowledge and backed his research.
For conspiracy theory buffs it's a must read. You come away with a new view of our local and national politicians and the lengths to which they will go to achieve and stay in power. Also makes you think of who really controls our country. Are we manipulated for a higher cause or by some super-rich men behind the scenes with diabolical motives? You read the book and decide. If nothing else this book makes you stop, reflect and truly think.

This book is a real eye opener. It's amazing how a story like this has been virtually suppressed in a "Free" country such as ours. I don't want to hear about American Idol or Britney Spears, these are the news stories that should be getting air time. There should be an independant task force set up for the protection of children who are being exploited and brutally abused. Try doing a search, isn't it amazing you really can't find one? Kind of makes you wonder. The fact that there are so many influential politicians involved in this scandal gets you to thinking do we have the fox gaurding the hen house??

THIS IS A MUST READ FOR EVERY PERSON IN THE WORLD.

JOHN DE KAMP IS A BRAVE, INTELLIGENT MAN.

To all of the detractors and those who think this is merely crazy conspiracy BS.

The horrible crimes documented in this book are not fictitious bunk made up by the author. Everything he wrote is verifiable, much of it was direct testimony from the CHILDREN that were abused by these, often wealthy and prominent, f'ing-inbred- lowlifes, and everything can be backed up with credible EVIDENCE. Mr. Decamp so much as said that if anyone believes that he is lying, or being untruthful about ANYTHING he's written in his book, then that person should just 'go ahead and sue him'. He wrote that, he in fact, "welcomes" any suits that anyone would like to bring against him challenging his honesty in what he's written in this book. So, if you're questioning Mr. Decamps honesty here, you should do something about it, instead of immediately dismissing it with your poor complaints, arguments, or lack of independent thought.

Ultimately, Mr. Decamp concludes that the reason why this huge cover-up has gone on for so long, is because there are very prominent people who like where they are in the social hierarchy, and if this scandal were to reach the mainstream then the whole "system" itself would collapse entirely, thus threatening the security of their position. The sick perpetrators and coordinators identified in this book are willing to let innocent children be abused and murdered in order to maintain their privileged, insignificant little lives. How very sad. But you do, as the saying goes, reap what you sow.
Go watch Conspiracy of Silence.

I read this at the recommendation of a book club and was pleasantly surprised. John March, young investigator and grieving widower, is drawn into an case where nothing is as it seems. Guilt and mystery surround all parties and John is nearly offed several times by ???? The New York atmosphere is well-captured. March's strange, past misfortunes are slowly revealed, balanced by his boyish exuberance and potential new love interest. I found him a likable fellow, though some of the attorney and FBI agent characterizations were exaggerated and the author had a peculiar need to describe everyone's clothing in exquisite detail -- The ending, of course, is not what you expect. Not a heavy book, like some of the Grisham novels, but fun. Will read more in the series.

Knopf doesn't publish just anyone's first novel, much less a PI mystery. Not hard to see why they signed Peter Spiegelman - he's as good as Michael Connelly. Black Maps is an amazingly mature work, without the usual reservation "for a first novel." It's engrossing from the first page to the last. Spiegelman's writing never gets in the reader's way - it's never self-conscious or - fatal for a mystery - transparently tricky, coy, or cute. It's a real story - the characters that carry the plot are alive and interesting without exception, and even the minor characters at the second and third levels have energy. A wonderful, wonderful piece of writing. Spiegelman has a place among the mystery writers who are master craftsmen - Connelly, Robert B. Parker, Tony Hillerman (at his best), et al. But he's much more than a word wizard; his books have soul.

I saw good reviews of the third novel in this series, and not being the sort of person to start in the middle of something, I went back and found this one -- apparently his first novel of any kind. And as a first, it's not bad. The protagonist is John March, born into a moderately wealthy New York banking family (all his siblings work for the company his grandfather founded), who fell in love his senior year in college with the daughter of an upstate sheriff, followed her home after graduation, and became a deputy for his father-in-law. Then she was killed -- the author was right not to overdo the backstory -- and March came back to Manhattan, where he became a PI. Now three years have passed, he's still not really over the trauma, and he's sort of floating through life. Through a lawyer friend, he gets involved in a blackmail case involving a collapsed bank (think international money-laundering on a huge scale) now in liquidation. The plot is well thought out, due undoubtedly to the author's own background in international banking and the design of financial software, and the complications are nicely explained for the uninitiated. The pace in the early part of the book is rather slow, though, and except for a couple of isolated scenes, it doesn't really pick up until eighty percent of the way through. Then he really lets out the clutch. The dialogue is well done, as are the characters, though Spiegelman could spend less time describing each passing individual and their attire in such minute detail; at least he stops short of quoting the laundry instructions tag. It's a very promising beginning, though, and I'll be following this series from now on.

Black Maps
Very good example of the private eye in the big city without the gunplay and other trappings that are so popular otherwise. A believable protagonist and a workable plot without the literary devices.

I read a lot of mysteries, and I am really quite impressed with Peter Spiegelman's writing ability. For a first novel, BLACK MAPS is extremely well written. I think Spielgelman's prose can stand toe-to-toe with some of the best writers in the business right now.

Unfortunately, the same can't be said for Spiegelman's plotting. BLACK MAPS is a pretty slow moving PI novel, and the first two thirds of the book is little more than a lengthy set-up piece that lacks any sort of momentum. But once you hit the last third of this book, BLACK MAPS becomes quite thrilling and enjoyable. But I must admit that I almost gave up on the book before this point.

Spiegelman is also way too fond of description. In BLACK MAPS, he describes almost everyone and everything in almost excruciating detail. People, clothing, rooms, architecture, business transactions, geographical locations -- you name it. He's actually very good at doing this, but I felt it really slowed down the momentum of the plot, at least for me.

In short, Spiegelman is a superb writer with huge potential, but I wouldn't recommend this novel to someone looking for a page turner.

Three and a half stars.

A waste of space, with out of date (for 2002) information concerning the IRA who by 2002 had decommissioned, also bas info on African diamond trade, plus a heavy Zionist bias. Not worth the money, and after the Turner Diaries the worst book that I have ever purchased from the U.S. NOT RECOMMENDED buy something else. Rated zero stars. "Ghostrider" [I have been to Afghanistan, most of the Arab world :Iran,Iraq,Egypt, Libya, Saudi, Kuwait; South and Central America, mainly the no-tourist places, as well as "Red" China (c 1976) and a few "nasty" places in Africa, (in no special order) Senegal, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Angola.

This book is a must read for those who wish to know how the Islamists are financing their Hard and Soft Jihad within all western nations. This book should be made obligatory reading in all Western Universities and Government Departments.

Dr. Ehrenfeld has gone out on a limb to report these insidious activities that occur on a daily basis within ALL our societies, by an ideology whose main goal is to subjugate and conquer our free and democatic nations.

I recommend this book to those who wish to know how the enemy, that we are now being forced to confront, not only in our own backyards but globally, operates.

If a Saudi royal is spending millions on muzzling the author of this book, you better believe it has some good stuff inside! This is a must-read for any non-Muslim, and it is important to purchase this book to support the brave, idealistic, sacrificing author, who is in the same righteous league as other heroes like Robert Spencer, Andrew Bostom, Ibn Warraq, Ali Sina, Walid Shoebat, Brigitte Gabriel, Bat Ye'or, and a few others. Buy a copy for yourself. If you have a relative or friend who works in any capacity for DHS, buy him or her a copy, too. This is especially important because of infiltration of Muslims into our government (read also Infiltration by Paul Sperry), as evidenced by the recent termination of Stephen Coughlin, a key Pentagon specialist on Islamic law and jihad, as a result of Muslim pressure by Hesham Islam and the terrorist front groups CAIR and ISNA.

Funding Evil will arm you with enough knowledge to see the outlines of the jihad strategy to spread sharia and Dar al Islam around the world. It is dense with enough detail to make it a vital reference, yet engaging and readable for mainstream audiences. It ought to be available in every library in America and the West.

Scanning the book, it's not hard to see why libel tourists such as Khalid bin Mafouz want it squashed and sue to keep it out of your hands. He appears on page 22 accused of dropping tens of millions of dollars directly into terrorist bank accounts. He appears on page 39 dropping funds into the bank accounts of "charities" that are in turn known supporters of Hamas and al Qaeda. His family turns up throughout the book funding various causes that just happen to funnel money to terrorist groups. The book certainly either defames or defines his character. Given the fact that other authors have researched bin Mafouz's finances and found similar financial connections and transactions, it's more likely the latter. So he sues.

Dr. Ehrenfeld's fight against libel tourism will set free speech precedent for decades to come. If she succeeds, courts outside the US will not be able to punish authors whose books are published in the US but sold internationally via Amazon and other online outlets. If her fight fails, then Khalid bin Mafouz will use his billions to come after other American authors who expose how terrorism is financed and fueled by wealthy Saudis and others who appear to be trying to buy their way into paradise by funding worldwide homicide bombing. And he'll come after US reporters, columnists and bloggers too. Her fight is our fight and your fight too.

Funding Evil is essential reading. With a foreword by former DCI James Woolsey and a critique of the 9-11 Commission report as well as details on terror financing and support for the legal jihad that reach right into the Saudi royal family, Funding Evil is indeed a book that the Saudis don't want you to read.

An article entitled, "A SLAAP Against Freedom" in the current (Autumn 2007) issue of City Journal talks about the nonsense this book's author went through regarding this book in the goofy U.K. legal system. Evidently, freedom of speech is NOT a right guaranteed in the U.K. Fortunately, U.S. courts are handling this case as a First Amendment issue. (BTW, Amazon's U.K. operation doesn't stock this book ... or, at the very least, isn't stocking the book at this moment.)

The article also notes how Cambridge University Press succumbed to a frivolous libel suit of a similar nature. A sad day for CUP (one of my favorite publishers). Although I'm sure the author in question can find another publisher, a CUP imprint will be tough to match.

Let's hope that U.S. courts remain above frivolous libel suits and protect freedom of speech.

God Bless America!!

This dude knows his street slang! I was sorta worried when I found out he was a Canadian cop...Mathers covers pretty much every racket and how it launders the proceeds...He is a pretty funny writer as well..I felt like I was sitting down with an old cop having a beer....If you always wanted to know about how money is laundered...This book does it in a funny way...

I've had a curiosity about money laundering for many years. I've heard about it on the news. It is often a shadowy subject, involving complex financial transactions and foreign intrigue. Here is a book that finally explains the subject to laypersons in a way that is accessible.

Mathers does an excellent job of explaining this subject to a layperson. He explains the various schemes, how they are executed, and how the criminals get caught. The explanations are backed up by examples from Mathers' long career in law enforcement. Most books about money laundering are intended for law enforcement personnel, so the authors assume some familiarity. Mathers' book is the first primer on the subject for laypersons. The jargon used by criminals and law enforcement are clearly explained as well, so those wanting to read further on the topic won't be bewildered by more advanced texts.

This is a great introduction for non-law enforcement persons to learn about money laundering. A great jumping off point.

Showing how Organized Crime uses real estate transactions to launder large amounts of cash, this volume presents the clearest explanation yet of the Republican "Ownership Society" as the premier money laundering tool of the very rich and very criminal.

The future reader should not be naive to think that this will be a book that teaches you how to launder money. Is a great book that shows the problems that crime causes to our everyday life. Chris Mathers reflects his style and way of thinking in this book, it will bring the reader down to the earth and teaches about things we all should know, it has good humor . Even if you upset that this book does not give out big secrets about police work and crime tricks , you should still read it ... it will make you see things that is not easy to see.

The book is aimed at those who legitimately handle large amounts of money. It doesn't have to be 'their' money, any supervision of cash will do. This includes bank tellers, small business owners, and corporate executives. Since they all 'handle' money, they all risk 'being nice' and going to jail for their troubles.

Mathers tries to shares some street smarts. The book doesn't try to 'explain' money laundering as much as put you 'inside' the process. The look and feel is given first priority. Thus, the author spends a lot of time toying with the lingo. You will learn about 'backstops' (a false history), 'beards' (intermediaries), 'bottoms' (what you owe), 'busting a cap' (discharge a bullet), 'Diming out' (informing), 'Dry conspiracy' (cop talk for an arrest with no contraband), 'juice' (interest rate), 'pooch' (fellow with no respect) and 'playing for shape' (willing to kill to curry favor). Mathers constantly belittles the intelligence of the crooks. Crime is easy, but getting away with it for long is difficult.

Along these lines, Mathers works hard to debunk popular perceptions. First, Hollywood doesn't do a good job of familiarizing us with 'real' crooks. Crooks don't look like Hollywood gangsters, they look like Joe average. Second, the crooks don't need high tech tricks to pull off their capers. All they need is a little, apparently harmless cooperation. For example, Mather describes the 'muffin man' method. The muffin man simply offers his bank teller a muffin every time he visits the bank. After giving away $5 worth of muffins, the recipient bank teller is likely to bend a rule. That bent rule may launder $100,000 in cash ($10,000+ profit to the crook). Additionally, it is all that is needed to put the teller in jail.

Mather makes his points by relentlessly bringing the reader down to the gutter level. Half the message is just the lingo and description of the terrain. Learn how to talk prison lingo, how to survive standing in line with a bunch of crooks, and most important, how a silly, everyday mistake can put you behind bars.

This is a book about avoiding the mistakes that have put many an otherwise innocent person in jail. Read and learn!

Ripley has crafted a clever plot, created a thoroughly credible lead character and populated the supporting roles with as motley a crew of strutting sociopaths since "COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL." This should be the beginning of a great series!

You can't put this one down. As funny as Robert B. Parker (whose blurb graces the cover) and as gritty and real as Elmore Leonard with dialogue that crackles and action that sizzles. Cole Springer, a new and enigmatic tough guy, holds off the bad guys while protecting himself and mob money-launderer, Max Shapiro, from mob-killers and the FBI. How he manages to pull this off makes for a slam-bang ending. Hard-boiled and fast-moving, this one fills the bill. Very satisfying. Aspen, Colorado makes for an exotic setting for thugs, unethical feds, and a mob hitman with a mid-life crisis who is one of the most unique and complex fiction characters of recent years. 'Gambit' contains two unwittingly hilarious thugs (Auteen and Ray Dean) a couple of tough guys who are the Abbot and Costello of the underworld and will have you laughing (and cringing) at each appearance. A must read for any serious crime fiction fan. This is the start of a series and is set to be released by MGM as a motion picture starring Kurt Russell. You'll find this ride a roller coaster of danger and laughter. Ripley is fast becoming one of the best mystery writers around. You'll be glad you picked up this one and will look forward to the next installment (Due out in February 2004).

The writer, who has obviously worked at creating a breezy, humorous style, has created a fun read. His hero is entertainingly dangerous and the dialogue sparkles. The ending is somewhat of a let down, but I'm going looking for his earlier efforts anyway.

W.L. Ripley is a wonderful addition to the Elmore Leonard school of novels. Great characters, great plot, and a driving pace. Highly recommended.

When Max Shapiro finds out he’s dying of cancer, he decides to quit his job as a money launderer for the mob and to spend his last few weeks spending some of his hard earned money. Well you don’t just quit the mob. While living in Aspen, he finds out he’s been misdiagnosed and actually has no cancer at all. He turns to Cole Springer, an ex-secret service agent, for protection. Unfortunately, Springer desperately needs the money to avoid the bank repossessing his tavern, and takes the job. The action begins.

This novel was great fun to read. A sort of Elmore Leonard/Bill Fitzhugh mix, that’s filled with unique characters. Ray Dean and Auteen, two mismatched thugs, were a riot to listen too. Max Shapiro had the Joe Pesci type personality from Lethal Weapon, which was hilarious. Then of course there is Cole Springer, a hero who’s hard not to like.

Great dialogue and nonstop entertainment filled with just the right amount of humor, makes this crime drama fun to read. W.L. Ripley will go on my must read list.

Highly recommended.

Paul Eddy, Flint's Law (Putnam, 2002)

Grace Flint is back, something for which we should all be happy. If you missed Paul Eddy's first novel, Flint, go find it and read it before you take this one on. Both of them are page-turners well worth your time and attention.

It's an unspecified amount of time after the events of Flint. Grace, newly-married, is now living in America, working with old pal Aldus Cutter on the Financial Strike Force. They've been going after Karl Grober, code name Hustler, for a while now, and the big drop is about to occur. Things, as they say, go horribly wrong, resulting in the death of an agent and a lot of recrimination among the team. Grace discovers the leak, but can't bring herself to believe it is who all the signs point to it being; nevertheless, she has to hunt him down and find out what's going on before the FSF loses Hustler for good, and she's out of a job.

Eddy knows what he's doing with the conventional thriller. All the elements are there, but it never feels like a retread; this is good, solid genre writing, on a par with early Ludlum. If you're a fan of the genre, and have not yet discovered Paul Eddy, you're going to like what you see. *** ?

"Flint's Law" was my introduction to Grace Flint, heroine extraordinaire. Grace is a maverick assistant director of one of the U.S. Government's alphabetical spook forces that investigates money laundering.

The novel opens explosively with a heart-stoppingly dangerous sting operation going terribly bad under Grace's direction. To her horror, she discovers her husband of one year is on the bad guy's team. His cover was perfect. It is inconceivable that this quirky, humorous, obsessed bird-lover could be a deep cover assassin. Grace relentlessly sprints around the world chasing him down. The villains pop up everywhere, and often the most deadly battles are between rival intelligence agencies.

The pace is fast and furious, but with surprisingly strong characterizations. I kept hoping Grace would find out it was a terrible mistake about her husband's nefarious intentions. Mr. Eddy had done such a good job of convincing the reader as well as Grace of Ben's lovable character; it was almost sickening to accept his deep betrayal. Grace is not portrayed as Wonder Woman. She is impulsive, somewhat paranoid (who could blame her for that?), headstrong and arrogant. The ending is a bit of a cliffhanger that clearly is trying to whet your appetite for the next installment.

The story barely manages to keep all its threads intact. There are so many competing agencies, players, and competing goals; it is easy to become confused. I did idly wonder how a Brit could be an assistant director of a U.S. intelligence agency, but willingly granted the author artistic license. In spite of these minor flaws, I highly recommend "Flint's Law" for non-stop entertainment.
-sweetmolly-Amazon Reviewer

"Mandrake" (I use the UK title of this book.) is a couple notches better than "Flint". While that was sometimes very confusing, with all the flitting back from past to present, and all the to-ing and fro-ing of the various fraudulent monies, and lots and lots of characters who all seem to meld into one. This one is far better.

It's still confusing, at times, but not nearly as much. The writing is brilliant...its incredibly compelling and powerful, written in a tense, brutally efficient and to-the-point style. The book speeds all over the globe, from the US to Croatia and the pace never lets up.

The characters are mercifully fewer, and are slightly better developed. the plot is complex and interesting. I can certainly reccomend this book.

The Financial Strike Force is an international organization that focuses on money laundering on a global scale. Grace Flint, FSF Assistant Director is poised to bring down German crime czar Karl Groeber but it turns sour when an agent is killed. Grace takes this personally because she personally recruited the operative.

After going over the failed investigation, it becomes apparent that someone with insider knowledge sold them out. That person is Grace's husband Ben. It turns out that there is no record to prove that Grace's husband ever existed, which means he was a spy designed to get close to Flint. When Ben causes Grace's father grievous injuries she vows to hunt him down and bring him to justice even if it means going through Karl Groeber to do it.

Grace Flint is a flawed imperfect heroine who endears herself to the audience because of her willingness to take responsibility for her actions. Except for her, it's hard to tell the heroes from the villains in FLINT'S LAW because most of the players have their own agenda and alliances. The story line compulsively compels readers to finish this tale in one sitting. It will be very hard to wait for the next installment in this dynamic new series.

Harriet Klausner

This was a fun read from start to finish, with great characters and a compelling story. This was one of the two best novels I have read all year.

To say that HOUSE OF LORDS is a modernized GODFATHER may not do it justice. GODFATHER gave us a compelling look into a world we rarely glimpse, HOUSE OF LORDS however shows us what happens when that world spills out into our own. A frightening tale of intrigue and manipulation often times causes the reader to stop only to ponder the idea of man's essential nature. The way the organized crime world slides in and tears apart a seemingly happy healthy family is both jarring and fascinating. If we loved the GODFATHER, GOODFELLAS, WALL STREET, or BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES for showing us so clearly what different sections of American culture are like, HOUSE OF LORDS should be applauded for showing us what they are like when they collide full force, but beyond that HOUSE OF LORDS begs the question "who will survive the meeting." Especially in today's news where headlines are less about John Gotti's death and more about the decay of corporate America (ENRON, Martha Stewart, Worldcom, etc) this book can maybe help us understand the new crime families of the 21st century.

Despite its predictability, the story was compelling and kept me interested throughout. Most of the characters were fairly stereotypical: Spoiled Rich Girl, Spoiled Rich Girl's Spoiled Rich Freinds, Bad Boy from Other Side of the Tracks, Ivy League Educated Bored Financial Guy, Bored and Unsatisfied Wife, Mob Underboss Aspiring to be the Boss, Two Bit Mob Soldier/Capo, Exhibtionist Sexy Foreign Wife of Super Rich Guy, Mediocre Career Detective. But the story did take a twist or two that kept it entertaining, but the end was a disappointment. After spending many pages developing characters and plots, the whole thing got tied together neatly at the end rather quickly. Too neat and too quickly--it reminded me of a Brady Bunch episode. It all worked out at the end. Not that many novels regarding the mob are steeped in reality, but the ending here was too neat and clean for a Wall Street meets Godfather story.

"House Of Lords" by Philip Rosenberg is a must read for poeple who enjoy a VERY well written, fast moving story that twists and turns with MANY surprises. Great characters! I usually can figure out where the author is going but not "House of Lords". A great surprise ending. I didn't want the book to end.

Burrough's fabulous research is rarely matched, the marvelous style is consistent with his previous work on 'Barbarians at The Gate'. Few business authors will thrill you as much as Burroughs or James B. Stewart.

The story of how the custodian (Jim Robinson) of one the worlds most recognized names, American Express launched a defamation campaign against a Swiss banker (Edmond Safra). Their efforts would've succeeded if they didn't rely upon an eccentric master of PR (Harry Freeman), a neurotic conspiracy theorist (Susan Cantor) and what could only be described as weasel of a man (Tony Greco)to execute it all.

The portrayal of Safra as an innocent is a bit misleading. Admittedly he took advantage of his post holocaust Jewish peers by purchasing their gold for obscenely below market prices to resell at market prices. In addition, Safra isn't without blame in American Express's paranoia that he would exercise unscrupolous tactics himself.

Read the book to find out why.

What happens when business people start to act like 5 year olds at the playground - I'm taking my ball and going home. This is a great story about the desire of American Express to move into the world of private banking and the bank they tried to by - Republic Bank run by Mr. Saffra. Not only does the book provide us this weird story but also it gives the reader a great back ground on these two companies - the American Express information was very interesting. The story of the two companies coming together and then having a lovers spat is just darn interesting and a little tabloid TV. The book keeps your interest and is a nice little find if you pick it up.

I am a fan of the authors writing in general. If you're a person who enjoys reading stories in the Wall Street Journal etc then this book may very well be for you (the author works at WSJ).

This is a fascinating story of international intrigue and business. The author provides historical background for both AmEx and Mr Saffra and then proceeds into the meat of the story.

What's interesting here is that the Vendetta alluded to in the title raises some serious ethical questions on the part of some folks. All I'll say is as you read it do a name search on the web and see where some of them are today, it's not the poor house and it's not jail either.

The book exposes high finance, high power, bare knuckled business street fighting taken to an internation stage.

Written by a senior economist and criminology professor along with a former director of the Division of International Finance of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Chasing Dirty Money: The Fight Against Money Laundering is a no-nonsense discussion of methodologies used to hide revenues gained from a wide variety of crimes and how to block such assets from being transferred and perpetuated. Chapters clarify laundering mechanisms, from simiply smuggling cash out of the country to using casinos, lotteries, and horse races to lose a little betting but receive clean payoff in issued checks, to taking out single premium insurance policies for which the premium is paid in an upfront lump sum rather than annual installments - then later redeeming these policies at a discount. Further chapters discuss protecting the integrity of financial systems, combating predicate crimes connected to money laundering, confronting such global evils as terrorism and kleptocracy or corruption that rely heavily on money laundering, and much more. A sober, serious-minded resource, an absolute must-read for all economic students and professionals, and an eye-opening revelation for lay readers.

At a time when a swarm of new books on illicit transactions and dirty money are vying for readers' attention, it is worthwhile to come back to this authoritative study that was published in December 2004 under the auspices of the Institute for International Economics. This book provides the first comprehensive effort to assess the effectiveness of the anti-money laundering (AML) regime, initially put in place to protect the integrity of financial institutions against the abuse of drug lords and criminal traffickers, and which was extended after 9/11 to include the combating of terrorism financing (the whole endeavor now runs under the acronym AML/CFT).

The authors define money laundering as "the conversion of criminal incomes into assets that cannot be tracked back to the underlying crime." Their aim is to begin the task of evaluating the effectiveness of the global anti-money laundering regime. The study describes the phenomenon of money laundering itself, to the extend that the available fragments of information allow, as well as the status of the current AML regime.

This is followed by an analysis of its effectiveness in achieving three goals: reducing crime, protecting the integrity of the core financial system, and controlling three types of global "public bads"--terrorism, corruption, and failed states. The study concludes with recommendations, directed particularly toward the US, on how the AML system and analysis of its effectiveness could both be improved. Unsurprisingly, the authors underscore the dearth of data on the subject, and they end up with a plea that "more research is needed."

The book could have included an analysis of the political economy factors that played a role in the emergence and consolidation of a global anti-money laundering regime. The authors are heavily focused on the US, to which they attribute a leadership role, but they could have mentioned that other countries, such as France, were also instrumental in gathering support for a stronger involvement of the international financial institutions on the prevention side. It is also interesting to note that the banking sector initially resisted increased government interference in its relationship with clients, but that it has since learned how to accommodate AML requirements in ways that impose relatively modest costs and inconveniences on both banks and their customers.

Little has happened since the book was published. As foreseen by the authors, the pace of expansion of the AML regime has slowed and the focus has now shifted to improving global implementation of the current regime. For its part, the US has yet to ratify the UN Convention Against Corruption and to submit itself to a full IMF / World Bank assessment of its financial sector, including regulations affecting money laundering and terrorism financing. The answer to the question: how much money is laundered remains a big question mark.

This book is partly based on well-known affairs, which are more thoroughly documented in other works, like the Banco Ambrosiano and the BCCI collapses or the fall of ex-president Noriega of Panama.

It brings in these cases only a few new facts to the surface. E.g., Roberto Calvi, chairman of the Banco Ambrosiano knew that Mason Licio Gelli (P2) had laundered money to buy exocet-rockets for the Argentinians, which were used in the Falklands war against Great-Britain. Or, the Swiss banks are holding on to their secrecy, because the money in secret accounts becomes their property if no transactions are registered in the account during a period of 20 years.

His overall picture of the drug industry is another matter. The drug industry is bigger than the food industry worldwide with quite staggering amounts of money involved.
More, drugs were (are) used officially and politically by the mujahedin in Afghanistan in their war against the Soviet-Union, by the Vietnamese in their war against the USA and by the CIA to finance some of their secret operations (see Peter Dale Scott's 'Drugs, Oil and War').
For the author, the drugs war cannot be won.

The other war, against money laundering, became a whole other matter after the 9/11 attacks. Even the Swiss agreed to open private bank acounts for criminal investigations.
The 40 million dollars bills rotting in a Californian basement could be small money compared to the amount of 'black' cash actually in circulation worldwide. The 40 million belonged to the head of the Medellin cartel, the late Pablo Escobar. He didn't get enough time to recycle the bills officially.

Recommended only as a first introduction to the black money market business.

This is a review of the updated 1998 edition of this book. This book is a very interesting read on world crime. The book details, quite correctly I imagine, the fact that the motivation behind most organised crime is one thing - MONEY!

The best way to hit back at organised crime is confiscate the proceeds and benifits of crime, money and assets. Unfortuntley, the criminals today are a sophisticated (at the top) as the people chasing them. There are also many countries, who lacking other resources fall back on "confidental" financial services as a way to make a living.

In many ways it's hard to blame these smaller countries and economies going into the money laundring business as globalisation and the corporate greed of the 1st world economies marginalise "traditional" economies and communities. It's a fact of life that people will make money any way they can - and if you are desperate enough you'll take the illegal or semi-illegal route.

This book takes you into the murky world of swiss banking - and it's NOT like the movies. Numbered bank accounts are a thing of the past. How the columbians got shot in the foot when they set up the mexican drug trade in a fit of diversification.

It also details how while crime has gone global in a big way, law enforcement has only done so sparodically, and not much will change until international co-operation is better organised.

This book just goes to prove that you can do a lot with banks if you are willing to pay the fees, know the world's tax havens (and their limitations) - and that cash is not always king (because then you need to go through the bother of washing it).

An illuminating and frightening book, which I'm sure is just the tip of the iceberg.

This is the ultimate book to the understanding,and art of money laundering, but it's also very informative,and an intresting book period, if you ever wondered how narcotic dealers, and cartels, launder thier money here it is, in black and white, it's also a book to all you wannabe Secret Service out there, who want's to counterfeit laundering,and counterfeiting, this book is a great addition to anybodies library, me personally, I read books like this all the time, "for informational purposes" ;o)
but it's a great read, if you've got the time, this book will put you in the light, a fascinating topic, told in a very entertaining way. thank you.

~ Michael Vincent

This book is a very good basic introduction to money laundering. There are some very good chapters or parts of chapters, including: a description of the basic money laundering process, examples of how FINCEN uses CTR data, descriptions of Carribean (and other laundering havens') bank secrecy policies, etc. Many of the chapters degenerate into countless real-life examples of laundering schemes in painstaking detail. Overall, however, there is a lot of good, useful information in this book geared towards readers who are looking for a basic overview of money laundering.

A fun book to read, although I wondered if someone in the DEA paid the author to write it! In Robinson's view of the world, the US government is always right. US government agents wear white hats, businessmen and their lawyers and accountants and bankers wear black hats. Robinson never questions the motives of the DEA/FBI/IRS officials whom he uses as information sources. He never questions the wisdom of the US war on drugs; indeed, he seems keen on expanding this war by enlisting financial intermediaries as government proxies. He ignores the likely impact of currency and financial controls on economic growth and personal liberty. He appears to have spent little time in the non-OECD world, where government corruption is the rule and where honest citizens have every reason to use cash and to hide their savings "offshore". In short: good entertainment value, and slick PR for Uncle Sam's drug warriors, but not an authoritative book by any means.