“Money laundering is often very boring…Crypto is new. It’s exciting. It’s different.”

This time on ‘Seize & Desist’, our host Aidan Larkin is joined by investigative journalist Geoff White, author of ‘The Lazarus Heist’, ‘Crime Dot Com’, and ‘Rinsed’.

In this episode, Aidan and Geoff explore the influence of modern technology on money laundering and its ties to transnational organised crime. They examine how criminals have exploited advancements in digital asset infrastructure to hide their illegal activities and emphasise the important role of investigative journalism in illuminating financial investigations involving on-chain and off-chain activity.

They also discuss the difficulties of tracking illicit transactions in cryptocurrency, the influence of faster payments, and the future implications of AI-driven crimes.

Timestamps

06:30 - Explaining Cryptocurrency and Asset Recovery to the Unfamiliar

07:30 - Investigative Journalism in the Digital Age of Financial Crime

14:00 - The Underperformance of Global Asset Recovery

18:00 - Crypto and Traditional Finance in Money Laundering

19:00 - Cash-to-Crypto On-Ramp Methods

22:00 - Cryptocurrency and Drug Trafficking

24:00 - Crypto's Role in Modern Criminal Enterprises

26:45 - Crypto vs Traditional Finance Prosecutions

29:00 - Balancing Crypto Adoption with Safety and Regulation

32:00 - Crypto Asset Recovery and Immutable Blockchain Evidence

34:00 - AI-Powered Crypto Thefts

36:30 - The Controversial Role of Mixers in Crypto

Resources Mentioned:

Book - Rinsed https://amzn.to/3LhGWui
Book - The Lazarus Heist https://amzn.to/4cCbEdC
Book - Crime Dot Com https://amzn.to/3S0kSbq
Podcast - The Lazarus Heist https://bbc.in/3zN0VhH
Podcast - Artificial Intelligence: Friend or Foe? https://amzn.to/4bE6rAM
Podcast - The Dark Web https://amzn.to/3Y2vF8C
Podcast - The Laundry E86 https://apple.co/3y1xyru
Oliver Bullough - https://amzn.to/3VYIwGd

About our Guest:

Geoff White is an accomplished author, speaker, investigative journalist, and podcast creator specialising in the intersection of organised crime and technology.

For the past twenty years, Geoff has informed and entertained audiences on financial crime risks, money laundering, cryptocurrency, and the personal data trade. His work has been featured by BBC News, Channel 4, Sky News, The Sunday Times and many others.

His latest book, Rinsed, explores how technology has transformed the world of money laundering. Geoff is also the author of The Lazarus Heist, about North Korea's global cyber warfare, and Crime Dot Com, which delves into the history of hacking.

In addition to his books, Geoff has created and presented several successful podcast series for Amazon’s Audible, including The Dark Web, which exposes the internet's hidden underbelly, and Cybercrime Investigations, which takes listeners inside the world of an investigative journalist.

Disclaimer

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Ep. 12: Exploring Tech-Driven Approaches to Asset Seizures