Asset Forfeiture | The FCPA Blog

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Harry Cassin
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Jessica Tillipman
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Richard L. Cassin
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Elizabeth K. Spahn
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Cody Worthington
Contributing Editor

Julie DiMauro
Contributing Editor

Thomas Fox
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Marc Alain Bohn
Contributing Editor

Bill Waite
Contributing Editor

Shruti J. Shah
Contributing Editor

Russell A. Stamets
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Richard Bistrong
Contributing Editor

Eric Carlson
Contributing Editor

Bill Steinman
Contributing Editor

Practice Alert: Mexico expands asset forfeiture to anti-corruption enforcement

Luis Dantón Martínez and Juan José Paullada July 16, 2019

Legislative changes in Mexico continue to expand the tools prosecutors have to fight corruption and to effectively recover illicitly acquired assets, particularly from corrupt activities. This is all the more significant given the recent major prosecutorial actions against the former CEO of PEMEX and others in what seems to indicate Mexico’s turn toward pursuing major corruption cases.… Continue Reading

South America: New four-country framework for sharing seized assets

Shirin Ahlhauser May 9, 2019

At the end of last year four Latin American countries signed a multilateral framework agreement regarding the disposition of confiscated property resulting from crimes linked to transnational organized crime, significantly advancing the discourse on asset sharing.… Continue Reading

1MDB: DOJ forfeiture complaints now target $1.7 billion

Richard L. Cassin June 15, 2017

The Justice Department filed civil forfeiture complaints Thursday against $540 million in assets allegedly bought with money looted from a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund.

The DOJ has now filed forfeiture actions against nearly $1.7 billion in assets linked to 1Maylasia Development Berhad.… Continue Reading

Martin Kenney: Confiscating the proceeds of crime will make the Caribbean safer

Martin Kenney February 9, 2017

One of the more interesting developments I discovered during the holiday period was a proposal from the Barbadian Chief Justice Minister, Sir Marston Gibson, to set up a regional asset recovery group in the Caribbean.… Continue Reading

Deterrence or due process abuse: What’s up with DOJ forfeiture actions?

Richard L. Cassin December 17, 2015

A daily news show on CCTV America dealt Tuesday with the DOJ’s civil and criminal asset forfeiture cases.

The show’s host, Anand Naidoo, formerly an anchor for CNN International, said forfeiture “is a legal tool that gives U.S.… Continue Reading

Want to buy Rita Crundwell’s belt buckles?

Richard L. Cassin November 13, 2015

The U.S. Marshals Service is auctioning 150 belt buckles awarded for top finishes in horse shows that belonged to Rita Crundwell, the former comptroller of Dixon, Illinois who stole $53 million from the city over two decades.… Continue Reading

DOJ returns $1 million in forfeited bribe money to South Korea

Richard L. Cassin November 10, 2015

Former South Korea President Chun Doo HwanThe Department of Justice returned $1.1 million in forfeited assets to the government of the Republic of Korea Monday.

The forfeited assets came from a corruption scheme orchestrated by former Korean President Chun Doo Hwan in the 1990s.… Continue Reading

Chad: Corruption is real, the FCPA not so much

Annalisa Leibold July 8, 2015

On October 26, 2009, I sat in the N’Djamena airport in Chad looking over my notes from a field visit I took to study the development effects of the oil pipeline in southern Chad.… Continue Reading

Friends and Enemies: When anti-graft campaigns become political weapons

Elizabeth K. Spahn November 20, 2014

Civil asset recovery actions against kleptocrats stashing their loot in luxury real estate abroad has become a hot new topic in the global anti-corruption movements with the publication of Public Wrongs, Private Actions.… Continue Reading

Taking back from the kleptocrats: Asset recovery burdens of proof

Elizabeth K. Spahn November 19, 2014

Image courtesy of the Stolen Asset Recovery InitiativeCivil, as opposed to criminal, asset forfeiture cases are the subject of heated debates in domestic U.S. law. Many civil libertarians and thoughtful observers of the U.S.… Continue Reading

Holder unveils new FBI Kleptocracy squad at Ukraine asset recovery event

Julie DiMauro May 1, 2014

Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr.U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder spoke at the Ukraine Forum on Asset Recovery on Tuesday in London, unveiling a new Kleptocracy squad within the FBI that will investigate and prosecute corruption cases in Ukraine and around the world.… Continue Reading