Money Laundering

British fugitive fraudster Anthony Constantinou, who fled England last year during his trial for fraud and money laundering regarding a £70 million Ponzi scheme known as CWM that involved entities in the British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, and England, appears to have died of a heart attack in Mexico earlier this month, OffshoreAlert can reveal, although it's possible that Constantinou - an habitual liar - may have faked his own death.

Switzerland has requested the bank records of U.S. firm Trading Core Investment LLC, which has an affiliate in the Cayman Islands, for a criminal investigation into purported "caterer" Maria Magali Ribeiro Martignoni for suspected money laundering involving accounts and entities in Andorra, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, and USA.

Application for the appointment of a Commissioner to collect evidence from East West Bank Core regarding an account held by Trading Core Investment LLC - pursuant to a request for judicial assistance from Switzerland - for a criminal investigation into Maria Magali Ribeiro Martignoni for suspected money laundering.

Forfeiture Complaint regarding the suspected proceeds of pig butchering fraud seized from two accounts at Binance crypto exchange in the names of Wasit Cholumnuay and Chatchal Kraibumrung in USA v. 2,546,415.01 USDT at the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Hong Kong-based corporate services provider Amicorp Group's operations in Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Curaçao, Hong Kong, and Singapore and its Dubai-based CEO, Toine Knipping, are being sued in the BVI for allegedly helping to launder some of the $7 billion that was misappropriated from the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund 1MDB.

Complaint alleging the defendants "engaged over the course of several years in acts of wire fraud, theft, money laundering, and other substantive violations of RICO, conspiracy to commit acts in violation of RICO, and other misconduct by which Defendants have stolen and laundered and continue to hide at least $13 million in cash from a company of which plaintiff Da Xiong Investments Pte. Ltd. is the sole shareholder" in Da Xiong Investments Pte. Ltd., of Singapore v. Cole Matthew Harris and Ying Chen, a.k.a. Cindy Chen, at the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

Forfeiture Complaint regarding "the proceeds of a fraud scheme perpetrated by Sikandar Azmi and/or unknown co-conspirators and/or was involved in and used to facilitate international money laundering" in USA v. All Funds in an account in the name of "an Indian national named Sikandar Azmi" at crypto exchange Binance in USA v. Binance.com Wallet Funds at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi.

The United States has filed a forfeiture complaint against $4.1 million that the Drug Enforcement Administration previously seized from a U.S. bank account belonging to Argentina-based, British Virgin Islands-domiciled Smart Focus International Fund Ltd., which allegedly operated as an unregistered money transmitter for two months in 2021, during which it allegedly transmitted $37 million.

Forfeiture Complaint in USA v. $4,166,303 seized by the Drug Enforcement Administration from an account at Reserve Trust Company in the name of Smart Focus International Fund Ltd., described as "a company registered in the British Virgin Islands, and operating out of Argentina", filed at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Complaint in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Silvergate Capital Corporation, Alan J. Lane, Kathleen Fraher, and Antonio Martino at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New york.

Forfeiture Complaint in $878,178 on deposit in an account in the name of Bullpix Holdings LLC at Wells Fargo that is allegedly associated with "a money laundering network that operates in the United States and Colombia, among other countries, and the activities of an individual known as Maximilien de Hoop Cartier", who is a citizen of Argentina, filed at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Application for the appointment of a Commissioner to collect evidence from Foris Dax, Inc. - pursuant to a request for judicial assistance from Germany - for a criminal investigation into Bamikole Ayodele for suspected investment fraud and money laundering involving cryptocurrency and a website at investecapitals.com.

Claim Form in Global Diversified Investment Company Limited, formerly known as 1MDB Global Investments Limited; Aabar Investments PJS Limited (in Liquidation), SRC International (Malaysia) Limited (in Liquidation), and Brazen Sky Limited (in Liquidation) v. Amicorp B.V.I. Limited, of the British Virgin Islands; Amicorp Management Limited, of the British Virgin Islands; Artemas Wealth Management (Barbados) Ltd., formerly known as Amergeris Wealth Management (Barbados) Ltd., of Barbados; Amicorp Fund Services N.V., of Curaçao; Amicorp Singapore Pte. Ltd., of Singapore; Amicorp Hong Kong Limited, of Hong Kong; Amicorp Limited, of Hong Kong; Amicorp Bank and Trust Limited, of Barbados, and Antonius Rudolphus Wilhelmus Knipping, a.k.a. Toine Knipping, of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, at the British Virgin Islands High Court.

Application for the appointment of a Commissioner to collect evidence - pursuant to a request for judicial assistance from the Netherlands - for a criminal investigation into Dennis van den Berg and Gerrit Groenheide for suspected "importation of narcotics, corruption of government officials and money laundering".

Forfeiture Complaint regarding the proceeds of "a scheme to defraud SafeMoon" in USA v. 680,467.92 Tether and 480.996 Binance Coin seized from accounts at seized from OKX, filed at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Forfeiture Complaint regarding the alleged proceeds of fraud in USA v. 196,721.18289916 USDT seized from a Binance account held by Izuchukwu Henry Okolo at the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Forfeiture Complaint regarding "the theft of virtual currency by the North Korean military hacking group known as, among other names, the Lazarus Group and Advanced Persistent Threat" in USA v. $1,168,679 in funds associated with two Stablecoin addresses on the Ethereum Network at the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

Join us at the upcoming OffshoreAlert Marbella conference for a groundbreaking session: 'Dubai Unlocked: How To Investigate Property Ownership in a Money Launderer's Paradise.' Presented by investigative journalists George Greenwood of The Times and Eiliv Frich Flydal, this session unveils the secrets behind a massive data leak exposing property ownership in Dubai. Discover how the Middle Eastern financial hub has become a haven for those accused of global criminality.

Two Chinese nationals - one of whom has a second passport issued by Saint Kitts and Nevis - have been arrested in the United States after being criminally charged with laundering at least $73 million of 'Pig Butchering' crypto-related fraud proceeds through accounts at Deltec Bank & Trust, in the Bahamas.

Criminal Complaint alleging money laundering involving accounts at Bahamas-based Deltec Bank & Trust in USA v. Daren Li, described as a citizen of China and Saint Kitts and Nevis residing in Cambodia, China, and the United Arab Emirates, and Yicheng Zhang, described as a citizen of China residing in Los Angeles, California, USA, at the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

Application for the appointment of a Commissioner to collect evidence from unidentified banks - pursuant to a request for judicial assistance from San Marino - for a criminal investigation into "the flow of funds tied to corruption, embezzlement, and money laundering by Ignacio De Jesus Galindo Molina and other Venezuelan, Italian, and San Marino citizens, including through Sammarinese and United States companies".

Application for the appointment of a Commissioner to collect evidence from Espirito Santo Bank, now Brickell Bank; Total Bank, The Bank of New York Mellon, and FlexFunds ETP LLC - pursuant to a request for judicial assistance from Spain - for a criminal investigation into Raúl Antonio de la Santisima Trinidad Gorrin Belisario, Luis Fernando Vuteff Garcia, and Jose Vicente Amparan Croquer for the suspected laundering of "hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars and/or Euros in profits" from an alleged bribery scheme involving Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A., a.k.a., PDVSA, described as "Venezuela's state-owned oil company", some of which was allegedly launder "by purchasing real estate in Spain in the name of shell companies via real estate bonds".

Criminal Judgment in USA v. Changpeng Zhao at the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.

Forfeiture Complaint regarding the suspected proceeds of fraud in State of Florida Office of the Attorney General v. 0.35984416 Bitcoin in an account in the name of Ankur Jain, a resident of Delhi, India, at Polo Digital Assets Ltd., d.b.a. Poloniex, at the Circuit Court of the Fourth Judicial Circuit, in and for Duval County, Florida.

Complaint for the extradition of Nomalanga Moroadi Selina Cholota from the USA to South Africa to face allegations of "fraud, corruption, and/or money laundering in connection with the procurement of and monetary kickbacks related to an illicit contract to eradicate asbestos within Free State Province in South Africa", filed at the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.

Criminal Complaint regarding "an international money laundering syndicate that launders the proceeds of fraud schemes, including cryptocurrency investment scams" in USA v. Daren Li at the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

Application for the appointment of a Commissioner to collect evidence concerning "four Miami-based corporations" - pursuant to a request for judicial assistance from Peru - for a criminal investigation into Gustavo Fernando Salazar Delgado for allegedly laundering over $6 million allegedly derived from "illegal activities, including illegal mining, public corruption and drug trafficking".

Forfeiture Complaint regarding the alleged proceeds of pig butchering fraud in USA v. 299,457.4 USDC, 162.5354 USDT, 6,941.648 TRX, 1,455,143.462248 USDT, 3,032.1689461 SOL, 67.79400436 BNB, 95,336.8670150 TRX, 703.955431 ADA, and 0.54151495 ETH at the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

Forfeiture Complaint regarding the alleged proceeds of 'Pig Butchering' scams "by an individual or group of individuals portraying themselves as Li SISI and David WU" in USA v. 3,400,000 USDT, 2,439,232.19 USDT, and 2,899,226.90 USDT at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

Forfeiture Complaint regarding crypto that was seized from an account at Binance in the name of Salaman Shahzada "during an investigation into a transnational criminal organization running an exploitation of elderly and social engineering scam" in USA v. 0.17366943 Bitcoin at the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina.

Complaint in Leonard Licht, described as "a 75-year-old widower" residing in Texas, USA, who "was victimized by a pig butchering scheme spearheaded by a criminal syndicate based in Cambodia" v. Binance Holdings Limited, described as "a Cayman Islands corporation that operates the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, Binance.com"; BAM Trading Services, Inc., and Changpeng Zhao, described as "a Chinese-born citizen of Canada", at the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

Forfeiture Complaint regarding real property allegedly associated with money laundering and Russian nationals Viktor Pavlovich Perevalov and Valeri Vyacheslovovich Abramov in USA v. Units 1616 and 1617 at 10295 Collins Avenue, Bal Harbour, FL 33154, USA at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Criminal Indictment alleging conspiracy to commit money laundering regarding a "phantom hacker scam" in USA v. Anil Mangukia and Yash Navadiya, citizens of India, at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.

Complaint against entities in Australia, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, England, Hong Kong, Puerto Rico, and USA in Luc Despins, as the Chapter 11 Trustee for Ho Wan Kwok, a citizen of China currently in custody in the United States awaiting trial for an alleged $1 billion fraud and money laundering scheme v. ACA Capital Group Ltd., Alfa Global Ventures Limited, Alfonso Global Ventures Limited, Anton Development Limited, Bravo Luck Limited, Celestial Tide Limited, China Golden Spring Group (Hong Kong) Ltd., Eastern Profit Corporation Limited, Freedom Media Ventures Limited, G Club International Limited, G Club Operations LLC, G Fashion (CA), G Fashion Hold Co A Limited, G Fashion Hold Co B Limited, G Fashion International Limited, GFashion Media Group Inc., G Music LLC, GF IP, LLC, GF Italy, LLC, GFNY, Inc., Hamilton Capital Holding Limited, Hamilton Investment Management Limited, Hamilton Opportunity Fund SPC, Haoran He, Himalaya Currency Clearing Pty Ltd., Himalaya International Clearing Limited, Himalaya International Financial Group Limited, Himalaya International Payments Limited, Himalaya International Reserves Limited, Jovial Century International Limited, K Legacy Ltd., Karin Maistrello, Leading Shine Limited, Major Lead International Limited, Mei Guo, Next Tycoon Investments Limited, Qiang Guo, Rule of Law Foundation III, Inc., Rule of Law Society IV, Inc., Saraca Media Group, Inc., Seven Mission Group LLC, William Je, and Wise Creation International Limited at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Connecticut.

The sophisticated techniques by which proceeds are disguised and moved even through the most tightly-regulated of economies, the multi-jurisdictional crimes which are involved, the emergent risks faced by institutions and individuals alike, and, perhaps most importantly, the trailblazing methods and tools by which practitioners uncover culprits and recover assets will be discussed at OffshoreAlert Bangkok this month in a session entitled 'The Dark Side of the Economy: An Ever-Growing Global Launderette'. February 28-29, Bangkok.

The U.S. Bankruptcy Trustee of New York-based, Chinese national Ho Wan Kwok, who is in custody awaiting trial for allegedly laundering more than $1 billion of fraud proceeds, has sued British Virgin Islands law firm Ogier in an attempt to recover $350,000 in 'unauthorized transfers', one of 23 recently-filed complaints against entities in Australia, BVI, England, Italy, Japan, and U.S. seeking to recover a total of $28.7 million in 'unauthorized or fraudulent' transfers.

Petition for Court Supervision of a Voluntary Liquidation in the matter of Tasameem Strategic Fund SPC (in Voluntary Liquidation) at the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands.

Forfeiture Complaint regarding the alleged proceeds of fraud in accounts at Binance crypto exchange in USA v. 46.7900 USDT, 29,348.653413 USDT, and 9.9037818 BTC at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia.

Forfeiture Complaint regarding the proceeds of an alleged fraud in which the alleged victim "received a call from a phone number with a Texas area code where another individual with a similar accent claimed to be with the "bank fraud department" and "that child pornography had been traced to her computer and they needed money to remove it" in USA v. Binance Account 505137746 at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois.

Criminal Indictment alleging "a global, long-running scheme by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to fund the Government of Iran and the IRGC through black-market sales of Iranian crude oil and other petroleum products produced by the National Iranian Oil Company" whose buyers "include entities in the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation, and the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria" in USA v. Behnam Shahriyari, Morteza Rostam Ghasemi, Mohammadreza Aliakbari, Mohammad Sadegh Karimian, Sitki Ayan, Nahaddin Ayan, and Kasim Oztas at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Criminal Indictment alleging investment fraud, money laundering, theft of government funds, and harboring a fugitive involving Dubai Bridge Investments and Al Zubair Capital in USA v. Zubair Mehmet Abdur Razzaq al Zubair, a.k.a. Zubair Mehmet Abdur Razzaq, described as a former resident of the United Arab Emirates who "falsely claimed to be a member of a royal family in the U.A.E.", and Muzzammil Muhammad al Zubair, a.k.a. Muzzammil Ibn Muhammad, a resident of Ohio who "claimed to be a hedge fund manager", at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.

Forfeiture Complaint regarding crypto seized from an account at Binance in the name of Rassul Alpyspayev Muratovich in USA v. 17,082.3565 Tether USD at the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado.

Criminal Complaint alleging the defendants defrauded an elderly client out of $34 million in USA v. Sergey Lebedenko and Galina Lebedenko, who emigrated to the USA from Ukraine, at the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon.

Amended Forfeiture Complaint regarding the alleged proceeds of fraud that were seized from accounts at Cayman Islands-domiciled crypto exchange Binance in USA v. 303,992.547258 USDT, 100.89607743 BNB, and 108,551.008 USDT at the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

Next Month at OffshoreAlert Bangkok: Dive into the modern face of international money laundering. Don't miss 'The Dark Side of the Economy: An Ever-Growing Global Launderette,' featuring insights from Danny Ong, Ting（Victoria） Zhou, Jack Mullan, Josh Heiliczer, and John Cusack. Essential for high-value finance professionals seeking to navigate risks and opportunities. Feb 28-29, Bangkok.

The upcoming OffshoreAlert conference in Bangkok will feature a session by Ken Gamble of IFW Global, focusing on 'Operation Tropicana', a major operation that dismantled a billion-dollar Asian boiler room gang. Gamble will discuss the gang's operations, including how they laundered money through Hong Kong banks and evaded detection for 15 years. He will also explain how the Anti-Money Laundering unit of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission helped recover millions for victims. The conference, held at the luxurious Siam Kempinski Hotel on February 28-29, includes various sessions on high-value international finance and will attract professionals from diverse fields like fraud investigation, asset recovery, banking, and law enforcement.

Criminal Complaint alleging money laundering and fraud involving NFTs known as 'UndeadApes' and 'Undead Lady Apes' in USA v. Devin Alan Rhoden at the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.

Application for the appointment of a Commissioner to collect evidence from Poloniex LLC, described as "a U.S. based digital asset exchange service offering cryptocurrency wallets to their clients to facilitate the buying, selling and trading of cryptocurrency" - pursuant to a request for judicial assistance from Canada - for a criminal investigation into James Grant "and his business, Canadian Bitcoins, 8159181 CANADA INC." on suspicion of "laundering the proceeds of crime (money laundering), failing to report/regulatory offenses, and filing false/deceptive tax returns and tax evasion".

Second Superseding Indictment in USA v. Ho Wan Kwok, described as "an exiled Chinese businessman who fled to the United States in or about 2015 and purchased a penthouse apartment at a New York City hotel for approximately $67.5 million"; Kin Ming Je, described as "a dual citizen of Hong Kong and the United Kingdom who principally resided in the United Kingdom", and Yanping Wang, described as "a citizen of China who principally resided in New York, New York", at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Forfeiture Complaint regarding the alleged laundering of the proceeds of a "Business Email Compromise" fraud in USA v. 32.68342694 Bitcoin at the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.