Foreign Criminal Networks - Andreas

 Andreas Cantu 

October 10 

 Foreign Criminal Networks 

A few days ago over 2,000 classified documents regarding over 2 trillion dollars in bank transactions were leaked to the public, revealing how blanks have allowed criminals to move laundered money through the world. These files also exposed how Russian Oligarchs managed to get past certain sanctions and get their money to the west. These files are also known as the FinCen files were mostly being sent to US authorities through 2000 - 2017. Banks use them to report suspicious activities however, they are not proof of any illegal actions. These files were originally leaked to Buzzfeed News and an investigative journalist group that later distributed them to over 100 news organizations and over 80 countries. FinCEN stands for the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network and they are the people that combat financial crimes. Any and all concerns regarding financial transactions in the US Dollars have to go through them however, this does not mean that the concerns get stopped. The files revealed that profits from, drug wars, fortunes embezzled from developing countries, and money lost to Ponzi schemes were able to flow in and out of the banks despite warning from the employees. There have been multiple leaks similar to this one over the past few years however, this one stands out because it deals with multiple banks all around the world and consequently more money. Some big names from this leak were banks such as JP Morgan who allowed a company to move over a billion dollars through a London account without knowing who it belonged too. Deutsch Bank moved laundered money for terrorists, organized crimes, and drug traffickers and that's just the tip of the iceberg. 

A big issue preventing the crackdown on these banks by the FinCEN is the current president's administration. They have made it very hard to hold the top executives personally responsible for the crimes. Another interesting discovery was, that even after banks were prosecuted and fined for their financial misconduct they continued to conduct business with possible criminals. These files have, without trying, revealed the truth of the modern baking era: These channels of dirty money, have become major arteries of the global economy (BuzzFeed.)   

Website: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/jasonleopold/fincen-files-financial-scandal-criminal-networks 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

voting

 a basic human right in our democracy is our right to vote. the 2020 election is an interesting one because of the pandemic mail in voting is going to be used more than ever. even though there is no real evidence of fraud with mail in voting, there is a fear that there will be. in fact, people fear that people will be so intimidated that they may stay home and not vote. voting is such an important right that we have and we must exercise it. people really need to vote for this election because it is so polarized. it is my first time to vote and i look forward to my voting experience.  https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/30/us/trump-election-poll-watchers.html
Read more

Features of Human Rights- Police Brutality (Willow Carter)

 Over the past several months the Black Lives Matter protests have been going on across the country, bringing many systemic issues to light. Most prominently, it has brought the issue of police brutality into the minds of many people, and also how the police are treating protestors. I believe that the actions of many police officers during many protests are violating the declaration of human rights.  Since the protests began in June, there have also been hundreds of reports against the police for using excessive force on peaceful protestors. Along with that, the use of rubber bullets, pepper spray, and tear gas has been widespread among police. This is within violation of article 5 of the declaration of human rights, which states: "No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment.". There are dozens of videos of police treating protestors and journalists in ways that can be considered cruel and inhumane. Most notable to me was a video I saw of...
Read more

Features of Human Rights: Abortion as a human right

  An issue I find very interesting in regards to the discussion around human rights is the controversy around abortion. Specifically in the U.S., the ruling on Roe V. Wade as well as different restrictions made on abortions in more recent years.  There is a fascinating argument for abortion as a form of health care, this falling under the general umbrella of article 25; refering to having a living standard adequate to maintain health and wellbeing of self and family, and right to security in the cirumstances of a lack of livelihood out of the individual’s control. Pregnancy has the potential to greatly affect a woman’s health, as well as ability to maintain an income to sustain herself or her family. It also could fall under article 23, since pregnancy is an obstacle that specifically prevents women from participating in the work force the same as men.  Universal- The right to healthcare, as well as the right to be able to work and maintain a livelihood is universal, and...
Read more