Developed by Justice Department employee Gerald Shur and beginning in 1971, the Federal Witness Protection Program—or Witness Security Program (WITSEC)—has provided safe harbor for over 18,000 federal witnesses and their families in exchange for damning testimony. It was WITSEC and the promise of a government-subsidized hiding place that convinced several “made” men of the mafia…
Category: Modern Crime
Cyber-Crime: Why Hospitals Are The Perfect Targets For Ransomware
RANSOMWARE HAS BEEN an Internet scourge for more than a decade, but only recently has it made mainstream media headlines. That’s primarily due to a new trend in ransomware attacks: the targeting of hospitals and other healthcare facilities. The malware works by locking your computer to prevent you from accessing data until you pay a…
Modern Crime: How a French-Israeli Grifter Became a Money Laundering Pioneer in China
Convicted con man Gilbert Chikli, sentenced in absentia to seven years in prison by a French court last year but living openly in Ashdod, is credited with masterminding a fraud that has cost companies $1.8 billion. To get away with it, he became the first of many to look east ASHDOD, Israel — Gilbert Chikli…
Cartel Corner #70: El Chapo’s Top Money Launderer, “King Midas” Has Been Caught
Mexican federal police and military units arrested Juan Manuel Álvarez Inzunza, aka “King Midas,” the alleged top money-launderer for the Sinaloa cartel of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, on Sunday in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca. Álvarez Inzunza, who was on vacation in Oaxaca when he was captured without violence, was arrested on a provisional extradition…
Modern Crime: Lima’s Fake Dollars
Peru is the number one producer of counterfeit US dollars in the world. In 2015, just over 16 million forged bills seized in the US were of Peruvian origin, according to the US Secret Service. Millions of counterfeit euros and Peruvian soles have also been seized by police in Peru. The forged dollars are finished…
Modern Crime: The Case of the Gucci Heels and 66 Pounds of Cocaine
A flight attendant ditched her designer heels and fled the Los Angeles International Airport on Friday night, leaving behind two bags stuffed with 66 pounds of cocaine and many questions about her apparent role in a large-scale drug smuggling operation. The flight attendant, who has not been publicly identified, was still on the lam as…
Why Have Domestic Assassinations Disappeared?
Merriam-Webster dictionary defines ‘assassinate’ as a transient verb meaning,“to murder (a usually prominent person) by sudden or secret attack often for political reasons.” The high-water mark of the 1960’s, demonstrated the frequency of domestic assassination attempts. However, not since theattempted assassination of President Regan in 1981 have we experienced an attempt on U.S. soil (that’s…
Modern Crime: The Next Great Hacker Threat Could be Drones
Ryan Satterfield was testing out his new Parrot drone in his backyard in Camarillo, California, when suddenly he wondered: Could it get hacked? Since Satterfield, founder of information security company Planet Zuda, uncovers hacking vulnerabilities for a living, it didn’t take long for him to discover a way to take over the aircraft remotely. He…
Cartel Corner #67: Juarez Cartel Bankrolling Politicians Re-Election Through Shell Companies
What is really amazing to me is the number of people out there who think type of thing ONLY goes on in Mexico and Central and South America. The big difference in the U.S. is the “Cartels” are called Corporations. -SF An in-depth investigation has revealed that through the use of shell companies, members of…
Cartel Corner #66: Drug Cartels Are Taking over the Mexican Tortilla Biz
Samuel ran down the steep dirt track lined with blue and pink houses desperate to escape. The 20-year-old took long strides and ran from one side to the other in a zigzag. He begged for someone to open the door of a house so he could hide, but nobody did. That mid-morning, the poor and…