SAIPAN — Marianas Consultancy Services and its sole member, Alfred Yue, are claiming ownership of funds seized in 2019 from two Bank of Saipan accounts totaling $310,276.26.
Represented by attorney Mark Hanson, Marianas Consultancy Services, or MCS, and Yue filed a verified claim in federal court Tuesday.
Hanson said MCS is the beneficial owner of the bank accounts from which the property was seized and the beneficial owner of all the property seized from those two bank accounts.
“As the sole member of MCS, Alfred Yue also has a vested property interest in some or all of the seized property as the beneficial owner/distributee of the profits and earnings of MCS and for payment or reimbursement for expenses, taxes and other MCS obligations to Alfred Yue,” Hanson added.
In January, District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands Magistrate Judge Heather Kennedy issued the arrest warrant following a complaint from the U.S. attorney’s office for the districts of Guam and the NMI, which sought to forfeit funds seized from two Bank of Saipan accounts in 2019 for wire fraud and money laundering totaling $310,276.26.
The complaint was a civil forfeiture action and did not provide names of any defendants but refers to two bank accounts of “MCS” at Bank of Saipan.
According to the complaint, $271,087.88 was seized from “MCS account 1,” and $39,188.38 was seized from “MCS account 2.”
A resident of the CNMI, “A.Y.” is the sole owner and operator of MCS, the complaint added.
The seized funds are currently in the custody of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
The complaint arises out of an FBI and IRS investigation of a suspected conspiracy by foreign entities and entities and individuals in the CNMI to commit wire fraud and money laundering.
“The suspected conspiracy involved the transfer of funds, including by international wire transfer, for the purpose of promoting two schemes to defraud: first, to promote the misrepresentation of material facts to, and the concealment of material information from CNMI regulatory authorities, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343; and second, to illegally influence government officials in exchange for preferential treatment, thereby depriving the citizens of the CNMI of their intangible right to honest services of those CNMI government officials, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1343 and 1346,” the complaint stated.
The suspected conspiracy involved a third scheme: “to evade the payment of the proper amount of income taxes owed to the CNMI government, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343.”
According to the complaint, the “conspirators used international wire transfers made with the intent to promote the carrying on of any one or more of these wire fraud schemes, each of which constituted specified unlawful activity.”
“The wire transfers therefore constituted acts of international promotional money laundering,” the complaint added.
A.Y. incorporated MCS for the stated purpose of “banking and financial services, real estate development, and business management,” the complaint added.
On Nov. 7, 2019, the FBI executed search warrants at the Office of the Governor, casino investor Imperial Pacific International and the office of Alfred Yue of Marianas Consultancy Services LLC, among other offices. Marianas Consultancy Services LLC was a consultant of IPI.
SALEM, Mass. — A close friend of domestic violence murder victim Wanda Rosa said the young mother was taking classes to become a real estate estate agent when she was murdered in 2016.
Iris Feliciano, 32, called as a prosecution witness on Monday, said she met Rosa when they were both working at The Mall at Rockingham Park in Salem, New Hampshire.
Emilio DeLarosa, 38, of Lawrence is on trial for Rosa’s first-degree murder and for violating a restraining order she had against him.
Feliciano, testifying during the second day of the murder trial in Superior Court, said she and Rosa quickly became close friends. Rosa convinced her to come work at the jewelry store where she was employed.
Later, they signed up and attended classes to become real estate agents, Feliciano said, answering questions posed by Assistant District Attorney Kate MacDougall.
Rosa, 29, missed the class they had together on Sept. 11, 2016. Feliciano said when she left class that day, she was inundated with texts and phone calls about something that happened to Rosa.
Feliciano thought it was a “bad joke,” she testified in tears.
“I called Wanda’s mom and she told me it was true. and that’s how I found out,” she said.
Numerous members of Rosa’s family sat in the back row of the court gallery and cried during Feliciano’s testimony.
DeLarosa is charged with strangling Rosa to death in front of their son, Ethan Rosa, who was 4 years old.
On Thursday, Ethan, now 11, testified that his father pushed his mother down, grabbed her and strangled the woman.
Ethan said he had been lying in bed with his mother in their Methuen apartment.
DeLarosa had asked Rosa for her credit card. When she said, ‘No,’ DeLarosa became mad, the boy testified.
“I was trying to pull him off her,” said Ethan, now a fifth-grader in Lawrence. But he said DeLarosa “killed her” and then brought him outside to his car.
State police Sgt. Michael Murphy, who investigated Rosa’s death, also testified Monday. Murphy was previously assigned to the Essex County district attorney’s office and said he investigated homicides and other major crimes.
Murphy testified that a letter was found in Rosa’s apartment following her death. He also said he witnessed an interview of Ethan, who said his father choked and killed his mother.
After Rosa’s murder, DeLarosa was on the loose for nearly a year and later captured while living under another identity in California, authorities said.
State police Sgt. Toddy Silverio of the Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section also took the stand Monday. He testified that he reviewed a 2014 police report detailing an attack on Rosa by DeLarosa.
After DeLarosa could not be immediately found after Rosa’s death, Silverio said troopers checked with his family, friends and employer about his possible whereabouts. Troopers also monitored his credit card and bank accounts.
“We attempted to contact everyone we possibly could,” Silverio said, noting they eventually were contacted a year later by police in Patterson, California, who had DeLarosa in custody.
The trial is expected to resume Wednesday morning.
A first-degree murder conviction carries the penalty of life in prison without parole.
In her opening statement, MacDougall said it was DeLarosa’s relatives who asked Methuen police to check on Rosa that morning. The couple was known to have a tumultuous on-again, off-again relationship.
Rosa was found on the floor of her apartment, strangled, with a comforter over her.
MacDougall noted that Rosa was a “mother, sister, daughter and friend.” While caring for her son, she had been training for a new job.
After killing Rosa and leaving Ethan with relatives that morning, DeLarosa fled to New York, Miami, San Diego and Los Angeles, where he found work installing hardwood floors, MacDougall said.
When he was captured by authorities nearly a year later, DeLarosa “admitted he killed Wanda Rosa, that he strangled her to death in front of her little boy,” MacDougall said.
Defense attorney Aviva Jeruchim described the couple’s relationship as “toxic.”
“They should have never been together,” Jeruchim said in her opening statement.
She said prior to the attack, DeLarosa had seen a letter to Rosa from an inmate at a Massachusetts jail. The letter referred to Rosa having doubts about who her son’s father was. The writer urged her to discuss this with DeLarosa, Jeruchim said.
DeLarosa viewed this as “the ultimate act of betrayal,” she said.
Jeruchim said she will ask the jury to convict DeLarosa on a lesser charge of manslaughter instead of first-degree murder.
Follow staff reporter Jill Harmacinski on Twitter @EagleTribJill.
CNN
—
The failed GOP candidate accused of shooting at Democratic officials’ homes in Alburquerque, New Mexico, was indicted by a grand jury on 14 counts of shooting and firearms charges, the Bernalillo County District Attorney’s office announced in a statement Monday.
Solomon Peña is currently in jail awaiting trial after being accused of hiring and conspiring with four men to shoot at the homes of two state legislators and two county commissioners following his 2022 state House election loss, as a GOP candidate, in New Mexico.
Peña was charged with three counts of conspiracy to commit shooting at a dwelling or occupied building, two counts of conspiracy to commit shooting at a dwelling or occupied building and two counts of transportation or possession of a firearm or destructive device by certain persons, among other charges, the district attorney’s office said.
CNN has reached out to Peña’s attorney for comment.
After losing the November election 26% to 74% to the Democratic candidate and before the shootings, Peña showed up uninvited at the homes of a legislator and some county commissioners, claiming fraud had been committed in the vote, according to police.
According to Albuquerque police, Democratic officials whose homes were shot at included Bernalillo County Commissioner Adriann Barboa, newly installed state House Speaker Javier Martinez, and State Sen. Linda Lopez, among others.
No one was injured in any of the shootings, which included at least one bullet flying through a child’s bedroom while she was inside, police have said.
Incidents reported to Danville and Vermilion County police include:
Friday, Jan. 27
7:10 a.m., property damage accident, Illinois 1 and East 2750 North Road.
8:26 a.m., property damage accident, Interstate 74 and Illinois 1.
8:40 a.m., domestic battery, theft, 100 block of North Griffin Street.
8:41 a.m., criminal damage in Potomac, 300 block of Lane Avenue.
9:22 a.m., theft of firearm, Lake Street.
10:58 a.m., criminal damage at an undisclosed location.
12:46 p.m., theft, forgery at an undisclosed location.
1:03 p.m., property damage accident, hit and run, 200 block of South Gilbert Street.
1:06 p.m., criminal damage, 200 block of Kentucky Avenue.
1:35 p.m., theft, 1000 block of Koehn Drive.
2:16 p.m., domestic battery, 400 block of Avenue E.
3:37 p.m., retail theft, West Newell Road.
4:01 p.m., property damage accident at an undisclosed location in Oakwood.
4:33 p.m., burglary to vehicle, 600 block of North Jackson Street.
4:53 p.m., sexual assault at an undisclosed location.
6:08 p.m., retail theft, 4100 block of North Vermilion Street.
7:27 p.m., personal injury accident at an undisclosed location.
Saturday, Jan. 28
3:01 p.m., domestic battery in Georgetown, 300 block of East 13th Street.
4:27 p.m., theft, 1300 block of West Williams Street.
5:16 p.m., domestic battery, Vance Lane.
6:29 p.m., civil disturbance, theft in Alvin, 16000 block of East 2820 North Road.
6:56 p.m., aggravated battery with a firearm, 300 block of Porter Street.
7:11 p.m., criminal damage, 2900 block of North Vermilion Street.
10:01 p.m., aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, driving while license is suspended, South Street.
11:47 p.m., retail theft in Tilton, 1500 block of Georgetown Road.
Sunday, Jan. 29
1:29 a.m., domestic battery, 900 block of Kingdom Street.
1:51 a.m., criminal damage, 1000 block of Texas Avenue.
2:24 a.m., aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, 600 block of North Vermilion Street.
11:16 a.m., theft at an undisclosed location in Rossville.
11:21 a.m., criminal trespass in Potomac, 8100 block of U.S. 136.
11:30 a.m., property damage accident, 1600 block of North Gilbert Street.
11:49 a.m., property damage accident, East Seminary and Union streets.
2:25 p.m., domestic battery, resisting and obstructing police in Tilton, 2000 block of Georgetown Road.
2:40 p.m., domestic battery, 1900 block of Georgian Drive.
5:13 p.m., personal injury accident at an undisclosed location.
6:07 p.m., residential burglary, 400 block of Harmon Street.
6:49 p.m., theft at an undisclosed location.
9:00 p.m., property damage accident in Oakwood, U.S. 150 and Pollock Lane.
9:38 p.m., aggravated domestic battery in Fairmount, 300 block of South Street.
10:31 p.m., domestic battery, North and Adams streets.
Monday, Jan. 30
3:33 a.m., aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, 900 block of Hubbard Lane.
6:18 a.m., domestic battery, 700 block of Oak Street.
Incidents reported to Danville and Vermilion County police include:
Tuesday, Jan. 24:
11:42 p.m., retail theft, 500 block of North Gilbert Street.
Wednesday, Jan. 25:
6:58 a.m., property damage accident, Eastgate Drive and Walz Creek Drive.
7:11 a.m., domestic battery, 1000 block of East Williams Street.
7:16 a.m., property damage accident in Ridge Farm, 4500 block of Illinois 1.
8:39 a.m., theft, 900 block of North Collett Street.
10:10 a.m., property damage accident, West Newell Road and North 1450 East Road.
10:15 a.m., theft, 500 block of South Bowman Avenue.
11:40 a.m., theft, South Griffin Street.
1:08 p.m., battery, South Street.
4:36 p.m., criminal trespass, 1600 block of Edgewood Drive.
4:58 p.m., domestic battery, home invasion, criminal damage, interference with reporting domestic battery at an undisclosed location.
5:04 p.m., retail theft involving a juvenile at an undisclosed location.
5:58 p.m., retail theft, West Newell Road.
7:14 p.m., theft at an undisclosed location.
11:47 p.m., domestic violence, 700 block of Edith Street.
Thursday, Jan. 26:
4:37 a.m., domestic battery, East Harrison Street.
5:30 a.m., domestic battery involving a juvenile at an undisclosed location.
6:53 a.m., property damage accident, North Bowman Avenue and East Winter Avenue.
6:54 a.m., property damage accident, Gilbert and Main streets.
7:12 a.m., property damage accident, Gilbert and Main streets.
7:14 a.m., personal injury accident, Madison and Gilbert streets.
7:15 a.m., property damage accident, Winter Avenue and Bowman Avenue.
7:19 a.m., property damage accident, Vermilion Street and Winter Avenue.
7:41 a.m., property damage accident in Westville, South State Street and Veterans Way.
7:41 a.m., property damage accident, Gilbert and North streets.
7:43 a.m., property damage accident, Gilbert and Williams streets.
7:49 a.m., property damage accident, North Gilbert Street and East Williams Street.
7:52 a.m., property damage accident, North Vermilion and Prairie streets.
11:30 a.m., domestic battery involving a juvenile at an undisclosed location.
1:13 p.m., property damage accident, Brunswick Lane.
5:10 p.m., property damage accident, 100 block of Gilbert Street.
5:29 p.m., personal injury accident at an undisclosed location.
10:04 p.m., domestic battery in Westville, 200 block of Vermont Street.
11:53 p.m., domestic battery, 800 block of Commercial Street.
Friday, Jan. 27:
12:28 a.m., aggravated fleeing, eluding police in Hoopeston, 600 block of West Orange Street.
12:58 a.m., home invasion in Hoopeston, 1100 block of South Third Avenue.
Investing in property is one of the biggest financial decisions a person is likely to make. New and increasingly sophisticated scams and incidence of fraud are on the rise and affect developers, buyers, sellers, estate agents, conveyancing attorneys, and other property professionals.
“As property transactions typically involve substantial sums of money, they are a natural target for fraudsters. Tactics range from impersonating estate agents to intercepting emails with instructions on where to make payment for transactions as well as notices of change of banking details instruction, says Ryan Mer, CEO, eftsure Africa, a Know Your Payee™ (KYP) platform provider.
While organisations like the South African Banking Risk Information Centre (SABRIC) have long warned consumers about various scams, Mer says they have been joined by leading South African estate agencies urging caution. “Criminal activity within the sector takes several forms. Individual con artists are nothing new, but with an increased reliance on electronic communication, for buyers, sellers, and property professionals alike, the prevalence of scams relying on technology has increased. This means implementing strict controls, especially when it comes to the electronic transfer of funds between bank accounts, is so crucial.”
The consequences of falling victim to a property scam are significant and can put individuals and businesses at serious financial risk. “If a buyer or conveyancer are successfully deceived into paying money into a fraudulent account, they can be held liable for damages to the seller. The costs of trying to recover stolen money are as hefty, time-consuming, and potentially devasting for individuals or businesses who simply cannot absorb a substantial financial loss,” adds Mer.
eftsure has several solutions that can prevent fraudulent transactions from taking place using sophisticated and advanced identification technology like the unique thumb reporting in a bank screen and the eftsure portal that provides real-time risk and error alerts. “Of course, there are a number of ‘self-help’ guidelines that everyone should have in place,” notes Mer.
- Double check and verify all email addresses involved in the property transaction.
- Approach all requests regarding payment instructions or amendment of banking details with caution and take steps to verify banking details by aligning with the party you are dealing with directly.
- Ignore and report any suspicious emails.
- As far as possible, request that important meetings take place face-to-face at a registered business address.
While FICA laws and recent amendments to the Property Practitioners Act have been introduced to better protect buyers, sellers as well as legitimate property practitioners, Mer says all parties involved in a property transaction should err on the side of caution during the exchange of funds. “As a starting point, property professionals should re-evaluate the financial procedures in place for approving payments. Digital solutions are available that help reduce, and in many instances completely eliminate, human error. Where millions of rands are at stake it pays to manage, control and secure the entire payments process.”
Copyright © 2022 AfricaBusiness.com – All materials can be used freely, indicating the origin AfricaBusiness.com Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).
Mortgage and title fraudsters who impersonate homeowners and tenants have targeted at least 32 properties in Ontario and British Columbia, investigators and official warnings suggest.
Insurance investigator Brian King, president and CEO of King International Advisory Group, said his firm had received 30 such claims in Ontario.
They include six instances of “total title fraud” in which con artists pose as homeowners to list properties for sale.
In B.C., the Land Title and Survey Authority warned in 2021 that there had been two attempts of title fraud involving the impersonation of owners who lived abroad.
King said such impersonators had to put in performances worthy of an “Emmy Award,” but they were not the only people involved in the scam.
Read more:
Toronto homeowners who were out of town discover their property was fraudulently sold: police
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“What you got to understand is that the people that are doing this, it’s a group ? It takes several people to make this process work,” said King.
He said his firm was handling six claims of total title fraud, with several coming forward after recent media coverage of the fraud technique.
King’s investigations include the case of Toronto condo owner Moffy Yu, who discovered that her two-bedroom downtown property had been listed and sold last year for $970,000 by someone using her name.
The property’s title now lists someone else as the owner, although a “caution” notice has been placed on the document by the director of land titles, indicating that it is disputed. Toronto Police confirmed they are investigating.
King said total title fraud was once “very, very rare,” but now it “seems like every other file that’s coming in is a total title transfer.”
Read more:
How thieves stole a Toronto condo in ‘total title fraud’, selling it for $970,000
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The B.C. Land Title and Survey Authority said in a March 2021 notice that it was aware of two cases involving property managers being tricked into taking instructions from fraudsters impersonating owners who lived abroad.
It said one of the frauds was successful.
“Both properties were listed for sale by realtors who accepted a scanned copy of a forged passport to verify the identity of the supposed owner,” the notice said.
King said title and mortgage fraud typically involve homes with low or no mortgages. After identifying such a home, the fraudsters research the homeowners to create fake identification in their name.
He said “actors” are then paid $5,000 to $10,000 to put the property on the market and seek a “fairly quick” sale with an unsuspecting buyer.
“They are not necessarily going for the most amount of money because they want to deal with this quickly. The quicker they get in and out, the better,” said King.
He said a recent case his firm investigated involved a home valued at $2.2 million in Ontario.
The true owners contracted a property management company to rent out their home after moving to England for work.
But it was rented by fraudsters who moved in, impersonated the owners, and sold it for $1.7 million within two weeks.
Read more:
How your home could be fraudulently sold without you knowing
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In another type of property fraud, impersonators pose as homeowners to obtain mortgages from private lenders, said King.
Compared to total title fraud, King said mortgage fraud was much “easier and quicker.”
But the potential payoff for total title fraud was much greater.
“When they sell to an unsuspecting (buyer), they get not only the mortgage amount, they get the equity amount as well,” said King.
He said total title fraud resulted in a legal “mess” that could take a year and a half for the courts to sort out.
Daniela De Tommaso, president of First Canadian Title Company Limited, said the firm had seen a “definite rise” in title fraud.
Although he could not say how many cases it had received, Tommaso said it was growing, although it involved “small numbers.”
Tommaso said the sophistication of fraudsters was increasing.
“We are seeing identity theft where you look at the ID, unless you are trained, you would never be able to tell that it has been falsified.”
He said people with home title insurance who were targeted by fraudsters could hand the matter over to their insurance company to “step in and take over”, contacting the police, notifying all parties involved, and hiring lawyers to fix the problem.
But in some cases, the homeowners would balk at the lengthy court proceedings and walk away from the property, taking a payout instead.
Neesha Hothi, communications director of the Better Business Bureau of Mainland B.C., said title fraud shows the importance of protecting personal information “like gold.”
“When you are getting rid of any bank documents, bills and etc. Make sure you are shredding those, you don’t want your bank account numbers, your social insurance and other personal information out there,” she said.
Hothi said another measure is to request an alert on title activity on a property, such as someone attempting to place a mortgage on it.
Yu, who now lives in China’s Hubei province, said she couldn’t sleep over the theft of her home as she worked with her insurance company and King to find a solution.
“Hopefully, I can hear some good news this year,” said Yu.
Quick work by local police, with the cooperation of the public, led to the Jan. 19 arrest of a bank robbery suspect from Indiana, but not without a confrontation that could have been fatal.
The 18-year-old, driving what officials said was a stolen car, fled Danville police, then found himself on foot in northern Vermilion County near Henning. Police searched the rural area and urged residents to lock their vehicles and houses.
A resident called police after an unknown person knocked on the door of the home. A Vermilion County sheriff’s deputy responded and confronted the suspect. Police said the fugitive pointed a weapon at the officer, who fired and wounded the 18-year-old.
The incident could have ended tragically, but thankfully did not. The alleged bank robber is expected to recover, and the deputy was not injured.
That situation involving a gun was not the only one local police investigated this month, which should be a concern for us all.
From Jan. 1-Jan. 20, police reports published in the Commercial-News included 20 incidents involving a firearm — six reports of unlawful use of a weapon; seven reports of shots fired; three reports of aggravated discharge of a firearm; and four miscellaneous reports where guns were involved.
The recent ban on assault weapons passed by the Illinois Legislature, and now being argued in a number of lawsuits, would likely do little to stop these types of incidents. Many of the local reports involve handguns, which the new law does not address.
Police officers and other first responders surely keep the possibility of weapons foremost in their thoughts as they respond to calls. No one knows when a firearm might suddenly become part of the situation, no matter how simply it might start.
With shootings across the country on the increase, everyone must be aware of the potential danger. When shoppers in grocery stores, children in classrooms, patrons at movie theaters and even those attending parades or funerals become targets of gunmen, everyone needs to be alert to the possibility of such violence. No one, no place is immune. Ask the residents in northern Vermilion County who just experienced just such an incident themselves.
Politicians offer no clear consensus on a solution. The Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution reads: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” U.S. Courts have decided “a well regulated Militia” means any adult citizen can own a gun.
Police officers cannot fight this battle alone. Tougher laws do little to stem the tidal wave of gun violence. There are too many guns, not enough mental health care available to those in need and too few people willing to step up and tell what they know about those pulling the triggers to end these deadly situations.
So elected leaders will continue to talk, marchers will walk and meetings will be conducted — and bullets will continue to fly.
From Jan.1-Jan. 21, the not-for-profit gunviolencearchive.com reported these statistics involving guns in the United States: 1,041 homicides; 32 mass shootings; four mass murders; 41 suspects were killed or wounded in incidents involving police; and 19 police officers were killed or wounded.
When will it be enough to do something in addition to thoughts and prayers?
Banks should be on alert for Russian oligarchs attempting to circumvent U.S. sanctions by investing in commercial real estate, a U.S. Treasury Department watchdog said.
Wealthy Russians with ties to the Kremlin are likely attempting to evade the economic sanctions placed on them in the U.S. by moving money into the commercial-real-estate sector, where complex financing methods and opaque ownership structures can help bad actors hide funds, the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, better known as FinCEN, said Wednesday.
FinCEN, which serves dual roles as the U.S.’s financial intelligence unit and anti-money-laundering regulator, is the recipient of the suspicious activity reports that financial institutions are required to file if they suspect a transaction may be illicit in nature. Law-enforcement officials can consult the reports when conducting investigations into financial crimes.
The Biden administration has targeted wealthy Russians as part of its response to President
invasion of Ukraine last year, placing those with close ties to the Russian government on blacklists that are intended to prevent them from accessing the U.S. financial system.
The alert issued by FinCEN on Wednesday is the Treasury’s latest effort to prevent sanctioned Russians from finding ways to evade such financial restrictions. In an 11-page report, FinCEN listed a number of potential red flags and typologies it said banks should be on the lookout for.
“Thanks to international pressure and the economic restrictions that more than 30 countries have imposed on Russia for its brutal war against Ukraine, sanctioned Russian elites are increasingly left with fewer options for moving and hiding their ill-gotten wealth,” FinCEN Acting Director
Himamauli Das
said.
Sanctioned individuals may try to use pooled investment vehicles or offshore funds to avoid due-diligence processes, FinCEN said in its alert. Banks aren’t typically required to verify the identities of individuals who own less than 25% of a fund. Sanctioned individuals could keep lowering their stakes to avoid detection, while still maintaining control of the fund, FinCEN said.
Oligarchs also may use shell companies and multiple layers of legal entities or trusts, or transfer their assets to a family member or business associate to conceal their ownership, the Treasury bureau added.
Sanctioned individuals aren’t just investing in high-end or luxury properties, according to the alert. In some cases, they may seek out more inconspicuous investments that provide stable returns without drawing unwanted attention. Such sanction evasion strategies are just as likely to occur in small to midsize U.S. cities as they are in the largest metropolitan areas, FinCEN said.
FinCEN’s latest alert builds on a similar warning issued last year, in which the watchdog advised banks to pay close attention to transactions involving high-value assets such as artwork, luxury yachts and jewelry.
Federal prosecutors have warned that lawyers, consultants and other service providers who work for sanctioned individuals could run afoul of the law.
An indictment unsealed earlier this week charged a former high-level FBI agent and a former Russian diplomat with sanctions violations in connection with work they did for
Oleg Deripaska,
a raw-materials magnate who was placed on a sanctions blacklist in 2018.
Write to Dylan Tokar at dylan.tokar@wsj.com
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A lawyer for the family of a Black man who died at a hospital three days after a confrontation with police during a traffic stop said Monday that video of the encounter shows it was “violent” and “troublesome on every level.”
The footage of Tyre Nichols’ Jan. 7 arrest “is appalling. It is deplorable. It is heinous,” attorney Ben Crump said during a news conference.
Crump, who viewed the footage earlier Monday along with Nichols’ family and their other lawyers, said it reminded them of the infamous video of the Los Angeles police beating of Rodney King.
“Regrettably, it reminded us of Rodney king video. … And unlike Rodney King, Tyre didn’t survive,” he said.
Nichols, a 29-year-old father, FedEx worker and avid skateboarder, was arrested after officers stopped him for reckless driving, police said. In a news release the day after his arrest, the department said that as officers approached Nichols’ vehicle, “a confrontation occurred’ and he ran. It said officers caught up to him and that ”another confrontation occurred” while they were taking him into custody. Police said he complained of shortness of breath and was hospitalized.
Nichols died Jan. 10 at the hospital. His family said the beating caused him to have a heart attack and kidney failure. Authorities have only said that Nichols experienced a medical emergency. Officials said a cause of death hasn’t been determined.
“My son died on Jan. 7. The doctors pulled the plug on Jan. 10,” Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells said Monday.
Crump said Nichols was tased, pepper sprayed and restrained during the encounter. Another of the family’s attorneys, Antonio Romanucci, said police beat Nichols for three minutes.
“He was a human piñata for those police officers,” Romanucci said.
City and community leaders have expressed concern about the possibility of civil unrest following the eventual release of the video. Nichols’ stepfather, Rodney Wells, told reporters that the family hopes any protests remain peaceful.
Crump said the authorities won’t release the video for a week or two, but that it will be released.
Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy issued a statement Monday saying authorities don’t want the make the video public yet because they don’t want to risk compromising the investigation.
Five officers involved in the arrest were fired after the police probe determined that they used excessive force or failed to intervene and render aid, police department Director Cerelyn “CJ” Davis announced Friday.
Nichols’ family, protesters and activists have called for the officers to be charged with murder.
The officers have been identified as Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills, Jr. and Justin Smith. All five are Black.
The U.S. Justice Department has opened a civil rights investigation into the arrest, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is looking into whether excessive force was used.
Attorneys for Nichols’ family say the officers who pulled him over were in an unmarked car
RowVaughn Wells said her son didn’t carry a gun or seek confrontation, and that police had no reason to stop him.
Rodney Wells said Nichols had good reason to run from the officers.
“Our son ran because he was scared for his life,” he said. “And when you see the video you’ll see why he was scared for his life.
The Nichols case is the latest high-profile death case to rattle the city. Since November 2021, Memphis has seen the fatal shooting of rapper Young Dolph in a daytime ambush at a bakery; a crime rampage in which a man has been charged with fatally shooting three people and wounding three others; the killing of a United Methodist Church pastor during a carjacking in her driveway; and the early-morning kidnapping of a jogger whose body was later found near a house.
Follow Adrian Sainz on Twitter: https://twitter.com/asainz22
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