Case Studies

A global crime-wave known as 'Pig Butchering' and the role of crypto in laundering its tens of billions of dollars annual proceeds will be scrutinized at next month's OffshoreAlert Miami conference. A session entitled 'The New Financial Plague: 'Pig Butchering' will be presented by Erin West , Deputy District Attorney for Santa Clara County, California; Professor John Griffin, a Finance Professor at the University of Texas at Austin, and Benedict Hamilton, Managing Director, Forensic Investigations and Intelligence, at Kroll. It is one of 16 sessions on intelligence, investigations, and recovery in high-value international finance that comprise The 20th Annual OffshoreAlert Miami Conference on April 14-16.

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.

Hear firsthand from FTX CEO John J. Ray III and one of FTX's offshore liquidators, Bahamas-based lawyer Brian Simms KC, as they delve into the gripping narrative of FTX's dramatic liquidation at The 20th Annual OffshoreAlert Miami Conference. Dive into their journey through complex legal battles and jurisdictional tug-of-war between Delaware and The Bahamas, culminating in a groundbreaking global settlement. April 14-16, Miami Beach.

This April 14-16, join industry leaders in Miami Beach for the 20th anniversary of one of the leading events on high-value international finance. Featured speaker Brian Simms KC, one of the Bahamas-based liquidators of the FTX crypto group, will discuss the cross-border complexities of the insolvency and how onshore and offshore representatives resolved their differences. Engage in pivotal discussions ranging from the alarming rise of pig butchering scams to the enigmatic world of offshore finance. Hosted at the prestigious Ritz-Carlton, South Beach, this event is a must-attend for professionals seeking to navigate the intricate world of international finance, mitigate risks, and seize opportunity. Early Bird Registration ends February 8.

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.

Pig Butchering fraud - which rakes in billions of dollars annually via online romance, crypto, and other scams - will be scrutinized at next month's OffshoreAlert conference in Bangkok, Feb 28-29.

In this video, the incredible story of dishonest English attorney Stephen David Jones, the senior partner of Jirehouse law firm who was sentenced to 12 years in prison at LondoIn this video, we explore the story of Stephen David Jones, a former senior partner at Jirehouse law firm, sentenced to 12 years for defrauding an American billionaire of £13 million. This unique case, which led to a private prosecution after inaction by authorities, is presented by criminal lawyer Steven Kay KC and journalist Nick Kochan.

Truth and reality will be on display at next week’s OffshoreAlert London conference. Some will like it, some will not, but both will benefit from hearing it. Our eclectic and […]

OffshoreAlert's first Asia conference will be held in Bangkok on February 28-29, 2024. The event will take place at the Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok, a 5-star resort in the heart of the city, near some of Asia’s finest restaurants, shops, and nightlife. There's an emphasis on networking and fun, which is why we're holding our event at a resort in one of the world's most exciting cities that attendees can easily fly into. We want them to combine business with pleasure.

The first version of the agenda for OffshoreAlert's 10th Annual London Conference on December 4-5 is now available. For more information about OffshoreAlert London 2023, sponsorship opportunities, and tickets, please visit www.oalondon.com.

In this video, David Marchant gives his opening remarks, which are followed by lawyer Tom Ajamie discussing how his investigation into suspected charity fraud by Hollywood movie mogul Harvey Weinstein ultimately led to Weinstein's demise and later imprisonment for sex offenses. Seth Freedman joins remotely for questions. "How My Fraud Investigation Brought Down Harvey Weinstein”, © 2023 OffshoreAlert. Recorded on April 24, 2023, at OffshoreAlert Miami.

In this video, retired FBI Agent Gregory Coleman discusses how criminals have stolen hundreds of billions of dollars of COVID Relief funds and how the private and public sectors can work together to recover assets. The presentation will include a case study of one state’s aggressive approach to recovering funds stolen through unemployment insurance fraud.

Experienced investigator Katie Frodsham discusses the value of human source intelligence (HUMINT) during litigation, through a case study of her infiltration of an extreme cult. Using covert HUMINT techniques and hardware, Katie went undercover in the cult to gather the evidence and intelligence needed to successfully win the case against the cult leader. This is the story of how Katie became a trusted member of the group, eventually going on holiday with them, and becoming the cult leader’s mentee.

Some crypto investigators suspect that the collapse of FTX is just the tip of the iceberg in an industry rife with fraud. This video looks at red flags surrounding other crypto schemes, including Binance, Deltec Bank, and, of course, Tether.

An investigator who went undercover inside an extreme cult to gather evidence and intelligence for litigation involving its leader will discuss her experience at OffshoreAlert Miami later this month. Join us on April 23-25 in Miami Beach, Florida—Info/Tix: www.oamiami.com

This panel discussion is organised along the lines of the 'BBC Question Time' format with the panelists making some initial comments about the implications of the 'ENRC v. Gerrard' judgment and then answering questions from attendees.

In this video, we will discuss how the global elite was duped by a capitalist fairytale and shine a light on efforts to clean up global capital flows even as opaque private equity firms amass trillions of dollars and offshore tax havens cast a veil of secrecy which prevents regulators, investors and citizens from understanding what’s really going on in the finance industry.

This video looks at Tether and NEXO, two ongoing questionable schemes in the crypto industry that collectively involve hundreds of billions of dollars. Speakers: Edward Normand, Partner, Roche Freedman; Eric Rosen, Partner, Roche Freedman; and Kyle Roche, Partner, Roche Freedman.

A discussion of the watershed SEC/Offshore Liquidators compromise in the liquidation of Cayman Islands-domiciled Income Collecting 1-3 Months T-Bills Mutual Fund and what it means for future insolvencies. Speakers: Guy Dilliway-Parry, Partner, Pirestleys; Igal Wizman, Partner, EY Bahamas; and Warren Gluck, Partner, Holland & Knight.

This video looks at a zero-click smartphone spyware tool known as 'Pegasus'. Speakers Mark Seibel of the Washinton Post and Stephanie Kirchgaessner of The Guardian discuss how Pegasus worked and provide specific examples of what it was used for.

A look at how Isabel dos Santos, the oldest daughter of Angola’s former president José Eduardo dos Santos, became a billionaire through suspected fraud and corruption and the role of […]

An investigation into what's taking place on 'The Dark Web', where you can obtain a degree from 'Hacker University' for $125, buy credit cards with CVV numbers for $5 each, ATM skimmers for $700, and hire hackers to 'destroy a competitor's business'.

Investigative journalists who led a joint investigation by 19 European media organizations from 12 countries will explain how a network of bankers, stock traders, and lawyers, including Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan […]

An analysis of Donald Trump’s tax returns, focusing on techniques that he used and whether they are considered to be legal or illegal. Get Session Content Speakers Dan Alexander, Senior […]

Neil Woodford was once considered Britain’s best fund manager, known by some as the country’s version of Warren Buffett, until it all came crashing down in 2019 amid multi-billion pound […]

An analysis of the investigation and prosecution of four offshore bankers and professional service providers in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Mauritius, Hungary and England for allegedly conspiring to defraud […]

This session will look at Carousel VAT fraud schemes, including The mechanics of carousel VAT fraud schemes Regulatory and enforcement options The role of investigative and intelligence consultancies in the prevention,

The remarkable story of how a network of bankers, stock traders, and lawyers swindled Europe's taxpayers out of €55 billion in a scam involving dividend taxes, as exposed by a joint investigation by 19 European media from twelve countries, coordinated

  Speakers Andrei Nekrasov, Film & TV Director & Writer, Independent Jamison Firestone, Managing Partner, Firestone Duncan (Russia & UK) Lucy Komisar, Investigative Journalist

In this session, whistleblowers' attorney Steve Kohn will discuss how his client, Howard Wilkinson, blew the whistle on his former employer, Denmark based Danske Bank, which has been implicated in a €200 billion Russian money laundering scandal and is now

The definitive inside account of Malaysia's 1MDB scandal, which managed to swindle over $5 billion with the aid of Goldman Sachs and others, exposing the secret nexus of elite wealth, banking, Hollywood, and politics. In 2009, with the

In a landmark ruling for the Cayman Islands in May, 2018, the jurisdiction's Chief Justice dismissed rival multi-billion dollar claims in a dispute between a Saudi Arabian family and a Kuwait-born businessman. The case of 'Ahmad Hamad Algosaibi & Brothers Company v. Al-Sanea and others' involved allegations of a $126 billion fraud arising from one of the largest corporate collapses during the 2008 financial crisis. In his 1,300-page ruling, Chief Justice Anthony Smellie described the scheme at the heart of the dispute as "one of the largest Ponzi schemes in history". This session will analyze the long-running dispute, what it says about the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands' ability to handle complex litigation, the consequences of the judgment, and what it means for future litigation.

Investigators and others who specialize in offshore finance will discuss emerging key issues affecting the industry in the areas of transparency, beneficial ownership, products, services, trends, and anything else of importance and significance. The session will be informal and questions

This session will look at binary options fraud, which has become a global phenomenon, particularly in Israel, where many of the perpetrators are based.

This session will look at an investment fraud perpetrated by a British former bankrupt double-glazing salesman whose group raised more than £400 million from 6,000 mainly British pension investors by selling the dream of properties in St. Vincent & The Grenadines, Barbados and St. Lucia.

This session will look at the causes, including systemic corruption, of Brazil's financial crisis and discuss how the country's situation can be improved.

After a thorough review of 15 years of SEC enforcement actions, Professor Urska Velikonja found that the widely-circulated statistics were invalid, and the metrics deeply flawed, with the SEC double and triple counting many of its enforcement actions and overstating fines.

This session will look at extraordinary allegations of billion dollar fraud and corruption involving 1Malaysia Development Berhad, which is controlled by the Government of Malaysia and was set up ostensibly to facilitate long-term economic investment for the country through global partnerships and promoting foreign direct investment.

This session will look at the increasing problem of fake news, how it can influence public opinion, and look into why certain people are susceptible to fake news that, to others, is clearly not believable.

This session will review the massive offshore tax fraud committed by the billionaire Texas business moguls Samuel Wyly and Charles Wyly, and the numerous financial planning errors that caused their collapse, including improperly-used offshore trusts, lack of minimal disclosure, overly complex structures, failed tax strategies and the inability to use current aggressive tax avoidance methods as a substitute.

This session will present evidence that fraud is not an occasional occurrence by rogue employees among Wall Street's major financial institutions and their service providers but is, in fact, a business model. This session will include looking at Wells Fargo's creation of millions of fake accounts to boost revenues.

Supreme Court Justice Ian Winder and two Queens Counsel, Brian Moree and Brian Simms, will discuss how the commercial courts are functioning and areas for improvement.

This session will look at how the 'Bloomberg Billionaires Index' is calculated, with an emphasis on the calculation of the net worth of Donald Trump, who is either insolvent or very wealthy, depending on who you ask.

This session will involve a psychoanalysis of Trump and his supporters, an explanation of his popularity, and what it says about the USA.

Short-seller Keith Dalrymple will discuss how he exposed Bermuda-domiciled, New York Stock Exchange-listed reinsurer Gerova Financial Group Ltd., contributing to its collapse, criminal indictments against Gerova's principals and a smear campaign against him and his investment research company.

The Sunday Times' 'Insight' investigative unit receive a cache of hundreds of millions of secret documents from a whistleblower detailing corruption and bribery within football's world governing body, FIFA, that led to Qatar being awarded the 2022 World Cup. The Editor of that unit will discuss the investigation and the evidence.

A sickening child-abuse scandal, a U.S. journalist banned from the jurisdiction simply for trying to conduct an investigation, money laundering scandals, endemic corruption and cover-ups galore. Is Jersey truly immoral to a degree that is scarcely believable or is it misunderstood? An attorney who is based on the island reveals all.

A look at how tax evasion and a fraud contributed to the economic crisis in Greece and lessons that can be learned by other countries.

The United Kingdom property market, particularly in London, has become a notorious money laundering tool for Russian oligarchs and other wealthy individuals in recent years. As a result, real estate prices have been surging and an increasing number of properties are owned through offshore entities. This session will delve into the phenomenon, including providing case studies of abuse, identifying individuals involved and discussing their methods.

A review of the first six years of the Commercial Court in the British Virgin Islands, which was set up to adjudicate in disputes arising from the jurisdiction's thriving international business sector.