The variety of money laundering: empirical research and criminological perspectives (EUROC)

Session Submission Type: Pre-arranged Panel

Abstract

Despite the centrality of anti-money laundering (AML) policies in the agenda of international and national organisations, knowledge of how money laundering (ML) works in practice is still scant. Most of the research conducted in this field to date has focused on AML regulations and countermeasures. Research on the behavior and choices of ML offenders remains poor, limited to the analysis of few anecdotal case studies and typologies, while the contribution of criminological and sociological studies have been negligible. This panel will provide the preliminary results of some theoretical and empirical research which is looking at how ML offenders behave, what schemes and methods they employ, and how (and whether) the ML choices change depending on the predicate offence and other personal and contextual determinants.

Subtopic

• Topic 2: Types of Offending / Organized Crime

Chair

• Michele Riccardi, Transcrime - Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore

Individual Presentations

• What determines the sophistication of an offender’s money laundering methods? - Peter Reuter, University of Maryland; Michele Riccardi, Transcrime - Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore

• Behind the criminal economy: using UK tax fraud investigations to understand money laundering myths and models - Rian Matanky-Becker, HM Revenue and Customs; Ella Cockbain, UCL

• What do suspicious transactions say about drug dealers and money laundering? - Melvin Soudijn, National Police of the Netherlands (KLPD)

• From payday to payoff: exploring the money laundering strategies of ransomware actors - Mirko Nazzari, Università Cattolica - Transcrime (Milan)