When most walk into a bank, they deal with the public-facing staff. Bank tellers. Maybe a loan officer. But what many don’t realize is that there is a whole group of personnel behind the scenes, yet they are on the front line against financial crime. They are the anti-money laundering compliance staff. You don’t interact with them directly, but they’re the ones looking for signs of suspicious financial activity. Sara Beth Felix is an anti-money laundering expert and consultant who helps banks get their compliance act together. Designated host Yaya Jata Fanusie recently spoke to Sarah Beth Felix about how good AML experts are wired differently and need to be active and perceptive in identifying suspicious transactions within their institutions. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Designated’s Proud Sponsors: Amid escalating regulatory demands and a surge in fraud, the need for financial institutions to remain compliant, efficient, and informed is paramount. What’s getting in the way? Manual processes? Lack of insight to regulatory changes? Lack of transparency for decision making?​ ​ With Thomson Reuters Risk & Fraud Solutions, financial institutions achieve more than 40% more efficient customer onboarding – making their teams even faster at reducing risk to fraudulent losses at the same time.​ ​ Thomson Reuters Risk & Fraud Solutions empower financial institutions to safely onboard and continuously evaluate customers, members, and vendors and increase new business securely through automated technology.​ ​ Thomson Reuters equips institutions to navigate complexities with confidence by elevating beyond mere risk management, setting new industry standards for decision-making and operational efficiency. Visit TR.com/CLEAR to learn more.

What does it take to run a nation’s anti-financial crime agency and stay one step ahead of those adapting to the changing world of finance faster than the government agencies tasked with stopping them? By building better investigative and analytic methods through new technologies. Dr. Shlomit Wagman was the Director-General of the Israel Money Laundering and Terror Financing Prohibition Authority. She served when terrorist groups in the region first began experimenting with cryptocurrencies. She saw their new methods up close and helped develop technologies and investigative methodologies to go after them. Designated host, Yaya Jata Fanusie recently spoke with Dr. Wagman where she described the challenges and successes while leading such a massive operation and reminds us all that technology is a tool that can be used, for good and bad, depending on who yields it and how. Designated’s Proud Sponsors: TRM offers leading blockchain intelligence for AML compliance at financial institutions, crypto businesses, and regulatory organizations alike - with sanctions support on 65 blockchains and coverage of more than 70 million digital assets. In a recent customer survey, 85% of users agree that TRM accelerates their work. 92% of users agree that TRM provides actionable intelligence. And 83% of users agree that TRM has provided intelligence they would not otherwise have. See for yourself why our customers rave about TRM by requesting a free trial or demo at trmlabs.com

Scott Baucum’s official title at Bayer U.S. is Vice President of Special Compliance and Asset Protection. But his day-to-day focus is stopping those bad actors attempting to infiltrate American technology companies to steal their proprietary data. Sometimes those scheming to steal exist within the ranks of the companies targeted. And as Scott Baucum knows firsthand, these “insider threats” often pose the most risk. Designated’s host, Yaya Jata Fanusie, spoke with Scott about what it's like being a target for economic espionage and to find out how a kid who grew up on a farm in Texas applies his vast agricultural knowledge toward dismantling Chinese spies plotting to steal biotech secrets from American companies. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Designated’s Proud Sponsors: TRM offers leading blockchain intelligence for AML compliance at financial institutions, crypto businesses, and regulatory organizations alike - with sanctions support on 65 blockchains and coverage of more than 70 million digital assets. In a recent customer survey, 85% of users agree that TRM accelerates their work. 92% of users agree that TRM provides actionable intelligence. And 83% of users agree that TRM has provided intelligence they would not otherwise have. See for yourself why our customers rave about TRM by requesting a free trial or demo at trmlabs.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Illicit Edge: Breaking News for Financial Crime Yaya Jata Fanusie, a former CIA analyst with years of experience in counterterrorism and financial crime investigations, will go behind the scenes with the professionals working to safeguard the global financial system from illicit acts. #financialcrime #compliance #china #blockchain #espionage

Sometimes it takes a money launderer to catch a money launderer. During the 1980’s, Ken Rijock was starting his career as a lawyer in Miami. But he soon found himself acting as a middleman between Colombian drug cartels and their expanding US network, helping launder illicit funds gathered through flooding cocaine onto America’s streets. By his account, he ended up “cleaning” about $200 million in drug cash. Eventually, Ken was caught, sentenced and served time in prison. However, upon his release, Ken was approached by government agents and made an offer to help their mission becoming an undercover informant. Designated host Yaya Jata Fanusie recently spoke with Ken about his life’s journey and his experiences during the two distinctly opposite phases of his time as The Laundry Man. Working alongside drug dealers during his high-flying, money laundering days.. and the next phase of his life as the anti-money laundering financial crime fighter. Helping law enforcement detect who was trying to launder money and those who were committing the same crimes that Ken knew so well. Designated’s Proud Sponsors: TRM offers leading blockchain intelligence for AML compliance at financial institutions, crypto businesses, and regulatory organizations alike - with sanctions support on 65 blockchains and coverage of more than 70 million digital assets. In a recent customer survey, 85% of users agree that TRM accelerates their work. 92% of users agree that TRM provides actionable intelligence. And 83% of users agree that TRM has provided intelligence they would not otherwise have. See for yourself why our customers rave about TRM by requesting a free trial or demo at trmlabs.com

The textbooks tell us financial intelligence is the process of gathering and analyzing financial activities in an effort to uncover threats or criminal dealings. But financial intelligence is more than just studying bank accounts and online transactions. To make an impact, financial intelligence requires bold, creative action in the real world. Perhaps no one is more suited to offer perspective on financial intelligence than John Cassara. John is a 26-year veteran of the US government’s efforts to take down financial criminals. During his time as a CIA Case Officer and a Treasury Special Agent at both the Secret Service and U.S. Customs Service, John conducted investigations into money laundering, smuggling, terrorist financing, and weapons trafficking throughout Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. He even went undercover as an arms dealer during a two-year detail to the US Customs Service. John recently spoke with Designated host Yaya Jata Fanusie and detailed how he parlayed his field experience as a collector of human intelligence in the CIA into the world of illicit finance investigations. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Designated’s Proud Sponsors: K2 Integrity is a global leader in risk management, compliance, investigations, and monitoring, combining the expertise of industry pioneers with interdisciplinary teams and advanced technology to protect our clients’ operations, reputation, and financial security. K2 Integrity is dedicated to ensuring, strengthening, and validating financial and commercial integrity and security. We understand that critical moments define an organization’s success. We strive to build financial and institutional integrity, reduce risk, and uncover truth. Our commitment to superior intelligence, expert analysis, and insightful solutions helps our clients navigate complexity and achieve better outcomes. To learn more about how K2 Integrity is revolutionizing the management of risk, visit http://www.k2integrity.com, or follow us on LinkedIn. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Illicit Edge: Breaking News for Financial Crime Yaya Jata Fanusie, a former CIA analyst with years of experience in counterterrorism and financial crime investigations, will go behind the scenes with the professionals working to safeguard the global financial system from illicit acts. #finance #cia #espionage #financialcrime #china #mafia

Have you ever met a corporate whistleblower? Most of us haven’t. They do make the subjects of great movies, though. There's intrigue, suspense, and high stakes. And usually a happy ending. But what exactly happens in real life when someone high up in a company, privy to corporate secrets, witnesses illicit dealings in their midst? How does that process play out? And at what cost.. Personally and professionally? Designated host Yaya Jata Finuse recently spoke with Phil Brewster, an attorney whose specialty is helping clients who have decided to become whistleblowers. They discussed the real-life impacts of these high-stress investigations, which most often involve the personal stakes for the whistleblowers that Hollywood can’t fully convey. Designated’s Proud Sponsors: TRM offers leading blockchain intelligence for AML compliance at financial institutions, crypto businesses, and regulatory organizations alike - with sanctions support on 65 blockchains and coverage of more than 70 million digital assets. In a recent customer survey, 85% of users agree that TRM accelerates their work. 92% of users agree that TRM provides actionable intelligence. And 83% of users agree that TRM has provided intelligence they would not otherwise have. See for yourself why our customers rave about TRM by requesting a free trial or demo at trmlabs.com

Money launderers use creative schemes to go undetected while moving illicit funds. But what happens when the person fighting launderers is someone with firsthand knowledge of these tactics, honed through real-world life experience and unique cultural insights? Enter Lourdes Miranda, a former CIA Officer and FBI Analyst. Lourdes spoke with Designated host Yaya Jata Fanusie about her unconventional background and how it helped develop the needed expertise she employed to think like a money launderer.

C4ADS- Center for Advanced Defense Studies- is a nonprofit that works to uncover illicit networks that threaten global peace and security through deep-dive investigations and intelligence analysis on data that may be publicly available, but hard to find. Through their investigative work, they’ve been able to map out secret business and real estate networks designed by corrupt military leaders in Sudan and unravel the multilayered supply chain enabling forced labor camps of Uyghurs in China. Varun Vira is the Executive Director of C4ADS. He spoke with Designated host Yaya Jata Fanusie about how his nimble organization is at the forefront of using open-source intelligence to shine the light on global networks trying to keep their dealings of dirty money and illicit operations in the dark. C4ADS’s investigations have made a significant and material impact and the targets of their investigations have taken notice. And although their efforts have become more necessary than ever, they come with tremendous risk.

As with the transition of power for every Presidential administration, agendas are rethought, and priorities realigned. And although America’s global economic and political power is buttressed by the integrity of its markets and sound rule of law, we must still be mindful of evolving methods of economic warfare and continued threats to our national security and economic standing. So what exactly should the incoming Trump administration be focused on and prioritizing? Juan Zarate was the US counterterrorism czar under President George W. Bush, the first Assistant Secretary at the Treasury Department to oversee Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes, and also authored Treasury’s War: The Unleashing of a New Era of Financial Warfare. Juan joined Designated host Yaya Jata Fanusie to share his expertise on the risks our adversaries and these massive threats pose to our economic, social, and political lives and how the Trump administration would be best served in addressing them.

In October, TD Bank pled guilty to money laundering and violations of the Bank Secrecy Act, incurring $3.1 billion dollars in penalties, putting the general public at risk, and shattering the trust of its own customers - joining a past roster of scandals involving many of the biggest banks in the U.S. But how exactly did a bank, trusted by millions, known as “the nation’s most convenient bank,” become an enabler of fraud and what can we do to end this trend of impropriety and prevent the next banking scandal? On this episode of Designated, host Yaya Jata Fanusie speaks with veteran banking executive and financial crime fighter, Jim Richards, for a deep dive into the questionable banking practices at TD Bank and how best to keep dirty money out of the financial system.

Beginning in 2011, the Silk Road was the place to go online for any number of illegal drugs and contraband or other illicit items. And as long as a buyer had some of this new digital currency called Bitcoin to spend, they could find whatever they wanted for purchase. This illicit activity on the Silk Road really put crypto on the map…. especially for law enforcement. But by 2013, the Silk Road was shut down as part of an intense federal investigation involving multiple law enforcement agencies. Key to the disruption of the Silk Road was an undercover special agent with the Department of Homeland Security. Jared Der-Yeghiayan’s story is not well-known or publicized. But he spoke with Designated host Yaya Jata Fanusie and explained what happened behind the scenes of the Silk Road and how he and a team of his fellow agents were able to gather evidence and conduct a raid that brought down the creator of the site, Ross Ulbricht, who is now serving two life sentences in a federal penitentiary.

Have you ever gotten one of those text messages, out of nowhere, from a number you don’t know, from someone thinking you’re someone else? These messages might be the digital bait in a global phishing operation designed to hook unsuspecting victims to eventually give up all the money they have to criminals half a world away. These scams may start with a text message. They could begin with a conversation on a dating app. But the scammers on the other side know how to reel people in and take them to the financial slaughterhouse. This type of scam is called “pig butchering.” Erin West is a Deputy District Attorney for Santa Clara County, California, and a central figure in the fight to combat “pig butchering.” She spoke with Designated host, Yaya Jata Fanusie, to help understand how “pig butchering” scams work and the steps we can take to keep from becoming a victim.

In Part 2 of the debut episode of "Designated," host Yaya Jata Fanusie shines a light on Tigran Gambaryan, a former IRS agent turned Binance executive who has been unjustly imprisoned in Nigeria for over seven months. Featuring conversations with former IRS Chief of Investigations, Richard Weber who served as Chief while Tigran was a Special Agent, Tigran’s former fellow Agent and friend, Matthew Price and Chief Compliance Officer at Binance, Noah Perlman, the episode seeks to uncover the truth and advocate for his release.

In the debut episode of "Designated," host Yaya Jata Fanuise discusses Tigran Gambaryan, a former IRS agent, turned Binance executive unjustly imprisoned in Nigeria for over seven months. Featuring conversations with his wife, Yuki, Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA) and Wired’s Andy Greenberg, the episode seeks to uncover the truth and advocate for his release.

Yaya Jata Fanusie, a former CIA analyst with extensive expertise in counterterrorism and financial crime investigations, will go behind the scenes with those fighting to protect the global financial system from fraudulent activity.