Money Laundering

The United Kingdom is seeking evidence in Florida for a criminal investigation into the alleged laundering of the proceeds of narcotics trafficking. Details are contained in two applications for the appointment of a Commissioner to collect evidence pursuant to a

A business group headed by Russia's richest man, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who was arrested in October for allegedly defrauding the state of $1 billion, stashed money in offshore centers, including Switzerland, Luxembourg, the British Virgin Islands, the Seychelles, Panama and the Bahamas, according to Yelena Collongues-Popova, who worked for one of Khodorkovsky's associates. Lucy Komisar, a New York investigative reporter who is writing a book about the offshore banking and corporate secrecy system, interviewed Collongues-Popova. This is her story.

Five and a half years after being exposed as a criminal by OffshoreAlert, offshore businessman Marc M. Harris, 38, has been found guilty of 16 counts of money laundering and tax evasion.Harris was convicted by a jury on November 24, 2003 following six days of testimony at the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, in Fort Lauderdale. He did not testify on his own behalf or call a single witness.

Offshore services provider Marc M. Harris, 38, was today found guilty of 16 counts of money laundering and tax evasion.A jury at the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, in Fort Lauderdale, found him guilty of

There will be no verdict in the Marc Harris money laundering tax evasion trial until Monday, November 24 at the earliest.The jury retired to consider its verdict at 12.35 p.m. today and the judge allowed jurors to deliberate until well

A jury in Florida will retire tomorrow to determine the fate of offshore businessman Marc Harris.After five days of presenting several witnesses and mountains of documented evidence, the United States Government wrapped up its case against Harris at 3.48 pm

It was Panama based offshore services provider Peter Robin Baily, not Marc Harris, who set up and maintained a scheme for Florida businessman Moises Kriger to evade United States taxes, a jury heard today.That was the scenario put to Kriger

The United Kingdom has requested evidence from banks in the United States as part of a criminal investigation into the collapse of Versailles Group PLC. Details are contained in an application for the appointment of a Commissioner to collect evidence

Police were called to the office of Marc Harris in Panama when a client turned up demanding access to his funds, a jury in Florida heard today.Despite their presence, Joseph Vigna testified that he would not leave the premises but

Offshore businessman Marc Harris advised two of his United States-based clients to destroy their business records and flee to Panama in 1995 when they were being audited by the IRS, a jury in Florida heard today.Tony Vigna and his son, Joseph, took the advice, shredding and burning documents concerning their illegal refrigerant gas smuggling operation and moving to Panama, said federal prosecutor Gregory Tortella in his opening argument on the first day of what is expected to be a nine-day trial.

Despite late efforts to have charges against him thrown out, offshore businessman Marc Harris will go on trial for 30 counts of money laundering and tax evasion in Miami, Florida on November 10.Harris will be defended by Frank Rubino, a

COSTA RICAMoney laundering on the rise A report by the Drug Enforcement Administration identifies an increase in Costa Rica's vulnerability to money laundering. According to the report, the real estate sector has become one of the favorite ways of laundering

The United States Government has applied to seize $438,035 controlled by a United States-based attorney with close ties to a Grenada-based offshore bank and a convicted money launderer in Barbados.The funds are held at the Fifth Third Bank, of Evansville, Indiana, in an escrow account in the names of Price & Associates and Price & Collins law firms and controlled by attorney David E. Price, of Santa Claus, Indiana.

The manager of a Nauru-licensed bank that was operated illegally in Nevis has been criminally indicted in the United States for alleged fraud concerning another bank that he operated.Dennis L. Shollenburg was arrested on August 18, 2003 - five months after a sealed indictment was brought against him at the U. S. District Court for the Central District of California.

A United States federal court has granted a request for judicial assistance regarding a criminal investigation into a former member of the British Virgin Islands Government and his banking officer wife.The targets of the investigation are Andrew Alturo Fahie, 33, who was the BVI's Minister of Education & Culture until a change of government in June of this year, and his wife, Sheila E. Fahie, a.k.a. Sheila Fannie, Sheila Romney, 36, an officer with Banco Popular in BVI.

Forfeiture complaint in USA v. Accounts at LGT Bank in name of 'Hellivesa Foundation' at the U. S. District Court for the District of Idaho.

Second Superseding Indictment in USA vs. Gilbert Allen Ziegler, a.k.a. Van Arthur Brink; Rita Regale, a.k.a. Rita Brunges; Douglas Ferguson, Robert Skirving and Laurent Barnabe, a.k.a. Larry Barnabe, at the U. S. District Court for the District of Oregon.

Application for the appointment of a Commissioner to collect evidence for a criminal investigation in the United Kingdom into alleged narcotics trafficking and money laundering by Athanasis Apostolopoulos and others.

Offshore asset protection specialist Marc Harris, who is in custody awaiting trial, has failed to have a 13-count tax evasion and money laundering indictment against him dismissed at federal court in Miami, Florida.On October 6, 2003, Judge James I. Cohn denied two motions by Harris to dismiss all or some of the 13 counts brought against him on May 6, 2003.

Application for the appointment of a Commissioner to collect evidence - pursuant to a request for judicial assistance from the British Virgin Islands - for a criminal investigation into suspected fraud, theft, and money laundering by Andrew Fahie and his wife, Sheila Fahie, involving the expansion and improvement of the Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport.

Application for the appointment of a Commissioner to collect evidence for a criminal investigation in the Netherlands into Joanna Atsma-Stulp for allegedly laundering the proceeds of smuggling by Patrick Coughlin.

Superseding Indictment alleging tax fraud and money laundering in USA v. Marc M. Harris at the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

CHILEInverlink debacle goes on Former Scotiabank employee Gino Tirapegui, and former BBVA employee Juan Pablo Prieto and Inverlink's Larry Fletcher have been indicted for fraud related to the Inverlink case. They are part of a group of twenty people, including

Legal proceedings at the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida involving a $170 million claim by Cayman Islands licensed Bank Espirito Santo International Ltd. against United States based receivables factoring firm E. S. Bankest LC et

A former director of the fraudulently operated First International Bank of Grenada has apparently committed suicide while awaiting sentence for another banking fraud, according to his attorney.DuSean Berkich apparently killed himself on August 10, 2003 - less than two months

A New York real estate businessman is seeking $136 million in damages against a provider of offshore hedge fund services and its alleged associates.In a civil complaint filed at the U. S. District Court for the Eastern District of New

A Grand Jury in Miami returned a superseding indictment on September 30 against offshore provider Marc Harris, adding one count of conspiring to defraud the IRS and eight counts of tax evasion to the 13 counts of money laundering first brought against him in May. Harris faces a maximum penalty of 5 years' imprisonment and a $250,000 fine on the conspiracy charge and each tax evasion charge, up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $500,000 on each money laundering count and a maximum penalty of 3 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the false return charges, stated prosecutors.

Two former executives of a now-closed U. S. bank that provided correspondent services to many offshore financial institutions are targets of a criminal investigation. They are Eduardo Masferrer and Carlos Bernace, formerly Chairman/CEO and Executive Vice President/Director, respectively, of the Hamilton Bank, in Miami.

Offshore asset protection businessman Marc Harris has filed motions to dismiss a 13 count money laundering indictment brought against him in Florida. Among the grounds put forward by Harris' attorney, Joaquin Fernandez, are "statute of limitations" bars and "pre indictment

Vancouver based attorney Martin G. Chambers, 63, is due to be sentenced on December 5, 2003 after being found guilty of five counts of money laundering.Chambers was convicted of all counts against him by a jury at the U. S.

Application for the appointment of a Commissioner to collect evidence for a criminal investigation in Spain into Jose Maria Clemente Marcet, Mustapha Djaoudi, Nayez Bin Fawwaz Al Shaalan, Gabriel Usuga Norena, Oscar Eduardo Campuzano Zapata, Carlos Alfonso Ramon Zapata, Margarita Maria Carmonar, Jaime Alberto Gomez Giraldo for alleged involvement in narcotics trafficking and money laundering.  

A federal judge in Miami has granted a motion by Marc Harris to have his trial start date put back from August 11, 2003 so that he can review evidence against him.In an order dated August 20, 2003, Judge Donald L. Graham set a new two-week period from October 6, 2003 to October 17, 2003 to try the 13 counts of money laundering that have been brought against Harris.

A stock promoter claims he was paid CDN$10,000 not to testify at a money laundering trial that is currently being held in Miami in which the defendants are Canadian attorney Martin Chambers and Bahamas accountant Michael Hepburn.Kevan Garner, of Vancouver, told prosecutors the payment was made on behalf of Chambers through an intermediary, Barry Mann. There is no suggestion that Hepburn was involved.

Offshore businessman Marc Harris and his employees associates in Panama assumed bogus officer roles in a sham offshore company and produced phony invoices, false bills of lading and backdated documents as part of an elaborate scheme to help a client

Panama's government is to carry out an investigation into allegations of corruption involving its own officials and offshore crook Marc Harris, according to the local media. President Mireya Moscoso announced on August 6 that a Commission would be appointed to conduct the inquiry, reported La Prensa newspaper.

US dentist Noel Tait, who operated a fraudulent offshore bank licensed in Grenada, has received a prison-term in the United States.

Clients of Cayman Islands-based Euro Bank Corp. (in liquidation) are to be re-paid their entire principal and some will even receive interest, they have been informed. The payment of a final dividend of 20 cents - bringing the total dividend to 100 cents in the dollar of principal - was approved by the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands on May 1, 2003.

A bank in the United States has failed in its bid to quash a subpoena requiring it to turn over records for a criminal investigation in Costa Rica into a business known as 'The Brothers'.Whitney Bank, in New Orleans, Louisiana, had argued it would expose itself to potential civil liability from its clients if it complied with the subpoena without notifying them beforehand.

Article based on an application to collect evidence for a criminal investigation into alleged fraud and money laundering - pursuant to a request for judicial assistance from Switzerland - that was filed at federal court in the USA on April 22, 2003. Individuals and businesses mentioned in the request for assistance include Gunter Tschudin, Gabriele Borjan, Raymond Schmitt, Luigi Piffaretti, Sidney Management Ltd., Scoote AG, Packaline AG, Lincoln Door SA, Tresor Line Inc., Lane Consulting Ltd., Kelly Pahl & Associates Ltd., James Larkin Pahl , Joseph Kelly, Jansons Solicitors, NAJA Establishment, General Surety Company Ltd., Harleysville National Bank and Trust Co., NationsBank, Charles Weaver and Michael Adkins.

Indictment in USA v. James Carroll Sexton, James Carroll Sexton, Jr., a.k.a. Jimmy Sexton; Rudolf Walter Ritter, and Egon Walter Fink at the U. S. District Court for the Central District of California.

A French magistrate has ordered a criminal investigation into several people accused of offenses against fugitive offshore banker Thierry Nano.Among those named in the complaint are two U. S. FBI Agents, an alleged FBI informant, the Prime Minister and chief offshore regulator of the Caribbean island of St. Vincent & The Grenadines, and a partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Article based on an application to collect evidence for a criminal investigation into money laundering, narcotics trafficking and investment fraud - pursuant to a request for judicial assistance from Costa Rica - that was granted at federal court in the USA on May 27, 2003. Individuals and businesses mentioned in the request for assistance include Osvaldo Villalobos Camacho, Luis Enrique Villalobos Camacho, Freddy Villalobos Camacho, Victor Sandino Soto, Kenneth Alvarado Thomas, Bertrand Henri St-Onge, Sandra Kerwin St-Onge, Luc St-Onge, Richard Rivers, Norman Denault, Alejandro Alvarado Miranda, Javier Calderon Granados, Hermanos Villalobos Exchange House (OFINTER SA), Servicios de Soporte al Turismo SA, Casa de Libertad SA, Favillale, Carlos Badilla, Fonseca Vargas Omar, Mario Borges Soubirus, Michael Sterling, David Brown, Forbes & Stobart SA, Framagra SA, Palma de Mayorca SA, Inversiones Haas SA, Danir SA, Compania Mercantil El Desierto SA, Casa de Cambio Ofinter SA, Immobiliaria Internacional Platino SA, Barclays Bank, Whitney Bank, Amtrade International Bank, The International Bank of Miami, and LGT Bank.

Offshore businessman Marc M. Harris was tipped off that U. S. criminal investigators were in Nicaragua looking for him the night before his arrest after being indicted in Florida for money laundering, OffshoreAlert has been told. Despite the tip-off, Harris spent the night in Managua and was arrested the next morning — on June 10 — as he traveled to the country's immigration department with his attorney.

Article based on an application to collect evidence for a criminal investigation into alleged fraud - pursuant to a request for assistance from Switzerland - that was filed at federal court in the USA on December 19, 2002. Individuals and businesses mentioned in the request for assistance include Lothar Helmar Wilfried Trinks, Christina Kaiser, Detlef Spiess, a.k.a. Detlef Brettschneider; Rudolf Steiger, Menno Fischell, a.k.a. Wolfgang Fluck, Wolfgang Schlesinger, Wolfgang Burg, Wolfgang Fischell, Hans-Jurgen Nero, Wolfgang Zuburg, Rudi Dillmann, Sabine Doerre, Peter Bucher, Raoul Rossbach, a.k.a. Mike Foster, Louis Mayer, Dr. E. Mankwald, Philippe Le Boustier, Marco Barbieri, Iva Kampke, Jan Zwarts, Rudolf Steiger, Enrico Raimundi, Marina Zivkovic, a.k.a. "Maja"; Thierry Hurthin, Renate Josephs, Nezir Lekaj, a.k.a. Alberto; Jesenko Kresic, Joseph Reis, Corner Bank, Western Sierra National Bank, ABN AMRO, LZB Munchen, Liechtensteinische Landesbank, Migros Bank, US Overseas Bank & Trust Alliance Inc., US Overseas Private Investment Corporation, Bank of America, Banque IPPA & Associates, Hanover Investment and Management Corporation, Hanover Trust International Inc., Hanover Manufactures, Vermogensverwaltung Lothar Trinks, New York Investment Banking Corp., Hamilton International Capital Management Inc., MAAF Assurances France SA, AXA Assurances Luxembourg, MAAF Assurances France SA, and Internet Conten Service AG.

Article based on an application to collect evidence into suspected narcotics trafficking and money laundering - pursuant to a request for judicial assistance from Switzerland - that was granted at federal court in the USA on November 14, 2002. Individuals and businesses mentioned in the request for assistance include Tullio Pezzana, Vincenza Pezzana Siracusa, William Pezzana, Nicola Di Stefano, Blackstone Universal Corp., Banca Del Gottardo, Anker Bank, and Amtrade International Bank.

Article based on two applications to collect evidence - pursuant to a request for judicial assistance from Switzerland - that were granted at federal court in the USA on December 19, 2002 and March 10, 2003. Individuals and businesses mentioned in the request for assistance include Jean-Claude Lacote, Robert Sullivan, Bo Krusell, Pierre Baudry, Roger Baudry, Aldus Finance Ltd., Kredietbank, Banque Bruxelles Lambert, Glen Tiney, Detroit International Investment Inc., Basellandschaftliche Kantonalbank, and David Dubowski.

Article based on an application to collect evidence for a criminal investigation into alleged money laundering - pursuant to a request for judicial assistance from Switzerland - that was filed at federal court in the USA on February 20, 2003. Individuals and businesses mentioned in the request for assistance inlcude Claudio Boscaro, Santo Maesano, MTB Bank, HBO-Casa Cambiaria SA, OPM Trust and Consult, and Symphonia Suisse.

Former Ukraine Prime Minister Pavlo Ivanovich Lazarenko, who allegedly secretly controlled an offshore bank called Eurofed, has been released from prison in California. After more than two years in custody pending trial on 53 counts of money laundering, fraud and transportation of stolen property, Lazarenko was allowed out on "conditional release" in an order dated June 11, 2003 at the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. 

Application for the appointment of a Commissioner to collect evidence for a criminal investigation in Liechtenstein regarding the search for assets of convicted narcotics trafficker Jeffrey B. Collins.

U.S.-based asset protection attorney David Hampton Tedder, who has been implicated in many investment scams over the years, was convicted of four felony counts in Wisconsin on June 10, 2003 after a week-long trial.Tedder, 56, of Winter Park, Florida, was convicted of conspiracy to violate the wire wagering act, and conspiracy to launder over $10,000,000 in gambling profits.