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CEO of Sham Tech Firm Sentenced to 12 Years in Massive $300 Million Money Laundering Scheme
Alain Bibliowicz Mitrani, the chief executive behind what authorities described as a fraudulent technology enterprise, has been sentenced to twelve years in federal prison and ordered to pay a staggering $330 million judgment after being convicted of orchestrating an extensive global financial crime operation. Prosecutors in Brooklyn detailed how the defendant engineered a sprawling money laundering network that handled more than $300 million on behalf of transnational crimin
Apr 224 min read


US Court Orders Global Banks to Produce Records in Iran Sanctions-Linked Civil Case
A federal court in New York has instructed several major international banks to hand over records as part of a legal matter connected to alleged sanctions evasion involving Iran. The institutions named in the order—HSBC, Standard Chartered, JPMorgan Chase, Citibank, and Bank of New York Mellon—are not accused of any wrongdoing. Instead, they are being required to assist in the collection of evidence. The case forms part of a wider civil action that is expected to proceed befo
Apr 225 min read


Global Ministers Call for Intensified Action Against Illicit Finance in FATF April 2026 Declaration
The Financial Action Task Force’s ministerial declaration issued in April 2026 delivers a clear and urgent message: the global community must significantly scale up efforts to combat money laundering and terrorist financing to ensure that crime does not remain profitable in any jurisdiction. This renewed commitment from finance ministers worldwide reflects a growing recognition that only a coordinated and unified international response can effectively dismantle the financial
Apr 225 min read


Deutsche Bank Self-Reports Sanctions Breaches Amid Intensifying Regulatory Scrutiny
Deutsche Bank has disclosed to financial regulators that it identified potential violations of European Union sanctions rules involving deposits exceeding 100,000 euros from Russian clients. The lender uncovered these issues through an internal review within its retail banking division, initiated shortly after Germany tightened its national enforcement framework. This voluntary disclosure comes at a time of heightened pressure on the bank, including recent law enforcement rai
Apr 224 min read


Police Raid Dogfighting and Gambling Ring in Daegu, Arresting 68 Suspects
Police in Daegu, South Korea have arrested 68 individuals following a large-scale raid on what authorities believe was an illegal dogfighting and gambling operation. According to South Korean broadcasters TV Chosun and TBC, investigators say many of those detained were caught actively placing bets on the outcomes of animal fights during the event. The suspected fights were reportedly organized at an empty lot located within an industrial complex on the outskirts of the city.
Apr 222 min read


Enforcement Directorate Raids Kolkata Police Officer and Businessman in Money Laundering Probe Linked to Alleged Criminal Syndicate
The Enforcement Directorate on Sunday carried out searches at properties linked to Kolkata Police Deputy Commissioner Shantanu Sinha Biswas and local businessman Joy Kamdar as part of an ongoing money laundering investigation involving an alleged criminal network operating in poll-bound West Bengal, according to officials. The action marks a significant development in the federal agency’s probe into the activities of an alleged organised syndicate accused of generating illici
Apr 212 min read


Deutsche Bank Reports Potential Breach of Russian Sanctions Deposit Rules to Supervisors
On April 17th, Deutsche Bank has notified its supervisory authorities of a possible breach of sanctions rules restricting deposits held by Russian individuals to less than 100,000 euros ($117,940), according to a person with knowledge of the matter. The potential compliance issue was disclosed to supervisors after concerns emerged that some deposits may have exceeded the threshold established under sanctions measures targeting Russian individuals. The possible breach came to
Apr 212 min read


CBUAE Strengthens AML Framework with Sweeping New Guidance to Protect UAE Financial System
On April 16, 2026, CBUAE, the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates, introduced an updated regulatory package designed to reinforce the integrity of the national financial system against illicit activity. The comprehensive guidance supports the National Strategy for 2024 to 2027 and aligns the UAE more closely with international standards established by the Financial Action Task Force. Under the updated framework, licensed financial institutions and registered hawala provi
Apr 214 min read


AUSTRAC Warns Wealth Management Sector After Widespread Suspicious Matter Reporting Failures Expose Serious AML Risks
Regulators have uncovered a major compliance breakdown within Australia’s wealth management sector after finding that ninety-eight percent of businesses failed to submit any suspicious matter reports during the previous calendar year, a gap that authorities believe may be allowing serious financial crimes, including money laundering and tax evasion, to go undetected across the national financial system. The findings have raised alarm within the Australian Transaction Reports
Apr 206 min read


Macau Judiciary Police and Mainland Authorities Dismantle Cross-Border Money Laundering and Fraud Network
The Judiciary Police (PJ) arrested 25 individuals from Hong Kong and mainland China on Thursday in connection with alleged money laundering, fraud, and document forgery activities, PJ spokesman Leng Kam Lon confirmed during a special press briefing on Friday. The arrests form part of a broader cross-border investigation targeting an organised criminal group operating between Macau and mainland China, with parallel enforcement actions also carried out by mainland authorities.
Apr 203 min read


Norwegian Regulator Exposes Serious AML Failures at Handelsbanken Norway Following Extensive Supervisory Review
The Financial Supervisory Authority of Norway has identified serious breaches in anti-money laundering controls at Svenska Handelsbanken AB NUF, operating as Handelsbanken Norway, following a comprehensive regulatory inspection that began with supervisory meetings in early 2024 and concluded with a final report outlining systemic weaknesses across multiple compliance areas. The findings indicate that the Norwegian branch failed to satisfy core legal obligations related to ris
Apr 205 min read


French Court Delivers Landmark Verdict Against Lafarge Over Terror Financing in Syria
A major judicial decision in France has brought to a close a historic case involving the multinational cement group Lafarge, culminating in a six-year prison sentence for former chief executive Bruno Lafont and a corporate fine of 1.125 million euros. The ruling centers on actions taken between 2013 and 2014, during which the company transferred millions of euros to armed factions in order to sustain its industrial operations amid the Syrian civil war. Judges determined that
Apr 174 min read


Venice EPPO Secures Convictions in €6.3M EU LNG Funding Fraud Case
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Venice, Italy, has obtained convictions against three individuals—two administrators and one employee of a consortium company—in connection with the misappropriation of European Union funds allocated for the development of Italy’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) network. The case centers on activities that took place between 2016 and 2021, during which the now-defunct consortium received €6,351,088.56 in EU funding. These funds we
Apr 172 min read


Netherlands Empowers Financial Intelligence Unit to Halt Suspicious Transactions in Major AML Reform
The Netherlands has taken a decisive step in strengthening its fight against financial crime by formally expanding its legal framework to grant the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) the authority to temporarily suspend suspicious transactions. This development, set to take effect in July 2026, is designed to prevent the rapid movement and dissipation of illicit funds by obligating reporting entities to comply with postponement requests while detailed investigations are carrie
Apr 175 min read


French Regulators Sound Alarm Over Misuse of Virtual IBANs in Financial Crime Networks
French financial watchdogs have issued a formal warning about the growing misuse of virtual international bank account numbers, highlighting their increasing role in enabling complex criminal operations. On April 13, 2026, the Autorité de Contrôle Prudentiel et de Résolution (ACPR), together with Tracfin, published an in-depth report examining these digital payment mechanisms. While acknowledging that many of these tools are designed for legitimate accounting and treasury fun
Apr 165 min read


ED Arrests Former ADAG Executives in Alleged RHFL and RCFL Fund Diversion Case
Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has taken into custody Amitabh Jhunjhunwala and Amit Bapna, both former senior officials of the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG), in connection with an alleged money laundering investigation involving the diversion of funds from Reliance Home Finance Ltd (RHFL) and Reliance Commercial Finance Ltd (RCFL), according to individuals familiar with the matter. The Reliance ADAG group clarified that Jhunjhunwala is no longer associated with
Apr 163 min read


US Treasury Sanctions Target Cartel del Noreste’s Financial Network and Gaming Operations
The United States Department of the Treasury has recently unveiled a sweeping set of sanctions aimed at six individuals and entities connected to the Cartel del Noreste, a violent criminal organization operating in Mexico. The measures focus specifically on dismantling the group’s financial infrastructure, particularly its ability to move illicit proceeds across the US-Mexico border near Laredo, Texas. By designating three individuals and three commercial entities, authoritie
Apr 165 min read


FINRA Censures MCAP LLC Over Critical Failures in Anti-Money Laundering Oversight
MCAP LLC has been formally censured by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority following the discovery of substantial shortcomings in its anti-money laundering compliance framework. The enforcement action stems from the firm’s failure to meet essential regulatory obligations, particularly those requiring routine evaluation of systems intended to detect and prevent financial crime. According to the findings, these deficiencies underscore the broader obligation placed on me
Apr 154 min read


Tribunal Upholds £68,000 Fine Against Scott-Moncrieff and Associates Over AML Failures
Scott-Moncrieff and Associates has lost its appeal against a £68,000 penalty imposed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority after a tribunal confirmed serious shortcomings in the firm’s financial crime controls. The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal ruled that the regulator’s original decision was sound, finding that the firm permitted millions of dollars to flow through its client accounts without adequate proof of legitimate legal services underpinning those transactions. Th
Apr 155 min read


South Korean Regulators Crack Down on Coinone Over Major Anti-Money Laundering Failures
South Korea’s financial authorities have imposed a 5.2 billion won penalty alongside a three-month partial suspension of operations on the cryptocurrency exchange Coinone after uncovering widespread deficiencies in its anti-money laundering controls. The action follows an extensive investigation conducted by the Financial Intelligence Unit, which identified roughly 70,000 cases in which the platform failed to properly verify user identities in accordance with national legal r
Apr 155 min read
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