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CONFESSIONS OF A
MONEY LAUNDERER by Kenneth Rijock
MONEY LAUNDERER by Kenneth Rijock
Financial Crime Consultant, for World-Check
Confessions of a Money Launderer - Part 64
12 May 2008
Not all of my cooperative work with law enforcement resulted in the arrest and conviction of the targets, generally because of mistakes made by the federal agents handling the matter. Some of those guys were guilty of the cardinal sin of arrogance, which can lead to overconfidence. When you think you know everything, you make mistakes. Understand that though these specific cases took place over the course of a decade or more, that most of the errors could have been prevented. The law enforcement culture of many agencies unfortunately perpetuates a conformist mindset that discourages original thinking and improvisation. Watch and learn how inflexibility can turn a certain win into a loss. Rather than soundly embarrass the agents involved, I have omitted the name of the agencies involved. Of course, if a reader really has to know, all you have to do is e-mail me for the name of the guilty one in any of these stories.
Remember, these are the failures. There are plenty of success stories, but it's these bloopers that merit your attention:
These are but a couple of my personal nightmares. Whilst there are many successes that overshadow these flops, the agents involved, who were solely responsible for the failure, were generally not even reprimanded.
Next week: My work get even more interesting.
- A source of mine with years of successful work as a confidential informant, both in the US and elsewhere, was delivering valuable information to a federal agency about Russian organised crime drug activity on Miami Beach. He had a sub-source who was an Arabic-speaking Middle Eastern Jew who worked in a hotel in Hollywood, Florida, near Ft. Lauderdale. The sub-source overheard a group of individuals in the hotel bar, discussing how they were going to blow up the White House. When my source passed along this urgently, the agents threatened him, saying that his job was to bring in Russian organised crime intelligence, an not anything else. They also told him that even mentioning an attack on the White House could be construed as a crime, and they ordered him to keep quiet. The individuals the sub-source overheard were the 9/11 hijackers, having their farewell party just before traveling to the cities where they would board their respective fatal flights to infamy. The agents were never disciplined for their errors, and still are at work today.
- A friend and yours truly set out to locate and target hydroponic marijuana grow houses located in South Florida. The first one we identified and fingered was operated by the son of a law enforcement official, so the target never went to jail. The second house we identified was located behind another house. the law enforcement agency hit the wrong house, effectively spoiling any element of surprise we might have to search the real grow house at a later date. The target moved out immediately. The federal agent in charge did not appear to have any real experience in this field. A couple of years later, I offered to brief that agency on my extensive knowledge of the use of former Russian aircraft in Latin American drug smuggling, and they sent in their "Russian expert." It was this very same agent, who spoke no Russian or Spanish, and had no meaningful experience in the aviation smuggling field. A final note, related to the 9/11 hijackers listed in the previous paragraph. When the television news showed the counter-terrorism team examining the hijackers' residence after the tragedy, this individual was again shown, now as a counter-terrorism team member. How many unqualified jobs does this agency send their people out to?
- I sent an associate with a number of agents to a Caribbean location to meet with two law enforcement agents who wished to cooperate, but lived in a Latin American country where US law enforcement was compromised. When my source arrived, the agents brought in another US agent, but one who was stationed in that compromised country. Both of the people I introduced to US agents were murdered soon after they returned to their own country. Again, the arrogance of these agents, to arbitrarily change the rules, caused two deaths. To add insult to injury, the agency wouldn't pay the travel costs of my people. I had to go all the way to the ASAC (Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge, the number two ranked person in that office) to get the costs reimbursed. I did hear that one of the agents was later disciplined, but not for the unfortunate deaths of two good mean who only wanted to assist the United States.
- I brought in from a great distance a friend to get wired for sound and sting a prominent attorney who was involved with Russian organised crime. The agency gave him an outdated, bulky concealed microphone and transmitter that was so large that it had to be placed in a box, which my friend had to carry into the lawyer's office. the lawyer made the sting in a second. Why did they try to get by with inferior equipment?
These are but a couple of my personal nightmares. Whilst there are many successes that overshadow these flops, the agents involved, who were solely responsible for the failure, were generally not even reprimanded.
Next week: My work get even more interesting.
The facts and opinions stated in this article are those of the author and not those of World-Check. World-Check does not warrant the accuracy of any facts and opinions stated in this article, does not endorse them, and accepts no responsibility for them.
Read more in this exciting series
8 March 2010
8 February 2010
24 January 2010
6 December 2009
27 September 2009
9 August 2009
3 August 2009
30 March 2009
9 March 2009
2 March 2009
22 February 2009
18 February 2009
26 January 2009
18 January 2009
11 January 2009
5 January 2009
29 November 2008
24 November 2008
17 November 2008
8 November 2008
3 November 2008
27 October 2008
20 October 2008
13 October 2008
4 October 2008
28 September 2008
20 September 2008
15 September 2008
15 June 2008
8 June 2008
1 June 2008
26 May 2008
19 May 2008
12 May 2008
4 May 2008
27 April 2008
20 April 2008
13 April 2008
31 March 2008
18 March 2008
4 March 2008
25 February 2008
16 February 2008
10 February 2008
3 February 2008
27 January 2008
20 January 2008
14 January 2008
6 January 2008
16 December 2007
9 December 2007
1 December 2007
25 November 2007
18 November 2007
11 November 2007
3 November 2007
27 October 2007
21 October 2007
14 October 2007
7 October 2007
1 October 2007
23 September 2007
16 September 2007
3 June 2007
27 May 2007
21 May 2007
6 May 2007
30 April 2007
22 April 2007
15 April 2007
8 April 2007
2 April 2007
24 March 2007
19 March 2007
12 March 2007
5 March 2007
25 February 2007
19 February 2007
12 February 2007
4 February 2007
28 January 2007
22 January 2007
15 January 2007
7 January 2007
2 January 2007
16 December 2006
10 December 2006
3 December 2006
27 November 2006
19 November 2006
11 November 2006
5 November 2006
29 October 2006
22 October 2006
16 October 2006
9 October 2006
2 October 2006
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