I first became alarmed about Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) when I was doing research on my book CCP Inc., Transnational Crime and Money Laundering.   China is well on its way developing and implementing an authoritarian model of a CBDC.  Its version depends on social scoring and the surveillance state.  The Chinese version of a CBDC will give the CCP the ultimate tool to control its populace.   Various CBDC models are spreading around the world.  CBDCs will be an incredibly important issue for all of us in the coming years.  Yet the promise of a CBDC to provide financial transparency is intriguing to this former financial crimes investigator.  So, I decided to write a paper on CBDCs from a law enforcement perspective.  The final edits changed its original thrust, but the paper was released January 13th by the International Coalition Against Illicit Economies.  You can find the link in the articles section of this website.  It is also available here.

I was interviewed by a Brazilian journalist about Chinese money laundering in Latin America.   It is an excellent article.  I'm pleased to see this topic is finally getting some attention.  Here is the link:  

I'm on the Board of Directors of the International Coalition Against Illicit Economies (ICAIE), a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit organization.  I also contribute the occasional article.  Today, ICAIE released a report I co-authored titled "E-Commerce and Digital Marketplaces: The Booming Business of Cross-Border Transaction Laundering."   We hope this study breaks new ground.  There isn't a lot of information out there on this topic, but it is one that is sure to get increasing attention in the coming years.  Personally, I hope to do more research and writing on some of the topics we surfaced in the report.   A link to the report is found in "articles" on this website.   It can also be found here. 

The following is a link to my July 24 testimony before a Fentanyl Working Group of the House Select China Committee. 
selectcommitteeontheccp.house.gov/media/press-releases/media-package-select-committee-ccp-fentanyl-policy-working-group-holds-meeting

I was interviewed recently regarding my views on Chinese transnational crime and money laundering - the subject of my latest book.  The interview is a good synopsis of my findings.   Here is the link:  www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvRETAKjHvk 

I was recently interviewed by Federal Newswire on my new book China- Specified Unlawful Activities:  CCP/Inc., Transnational Crime and Money Laundering.  The wide-ranging conversation runs about 40 minutes and is available via video and podcast.  Here is the YouTube link:  www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXdWLsmf7HU

After my book China - Specified Unlawful Activities was first published, it came to my attention that there were a number of typos.  There were not any major errors, just silly mistakes.  Nothing interfered with the actual meaning of the narrative.  Nevertheless, I feel bad about it because I reviewed the manuscript numerous times and also hired somebody to do the line editing.   Both the printed and e-versions are now corrected.  

​For those of you who enjoy podcasts, I recommend a Freakonomics Radio - The Hidden Side of Everything - podcast that was just released titled "Why Does One Tiny State Set the Rule for Everyone?" 
It does a great job of explaining the LLC/shell company industry of Delaware.  It is particularly timely considering the ongoing debate over the beneficial ownership rule.  I had a good time contributing to the discussion.
The podcast can be found at Freakonomics.com or download on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Yesterday, I had the honor of testifying before the House Financial Services Subcommittee on National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions.  The title of the hearing was "Follow the Money: The CCP’s Business Model Fueling the Fentanyl Crisis."

Here is a link to the video of the hearing:

My new book "China Specified Unlawful Activities:  CCP Inc., Transnational Crime and Money Laundering" should be released next week.   It will be available via Amazon.  

Researching and writing this book has been eye opening.  In sum, I am staggered by the totality of CCP Inc. criminality, Chinese-centric money laundering methodologies, and whole-of-society enablers.  

I use a law enforcement prism to peel back the PRC’s hidden involvement in the global illicit economy.  The book begins with Part I’s exploration of China’s involvement in the top 12 categories of transnational crime or specified unlawful activities for money laundering.  They include Counterfeit Goods; Narcotics; Intellectual Property Theft and Trade Secrets; Human Trafficking; Wildlife Trafficking; Illegal Logging; Illegal Fishing; Illicit Tobacco; Trade Fraud; Arms Trafficking and WMD Proliferation; and Organ Harvesting.  CCP Inc.’s involvement in the above SUAs total approximately $2 trillion a year or roughly half of the money laundered globally.  Part II covers China-centric money laundering methodologies including Flying Money; Black Market Exchanges; Chinese Underground Banking Systems; Capital Flight; Gambling; Real Estate; and Offshores and Secrecy Jurisdictions.  Part III covers Chinese corruption (also a SUA) and details how it is exported abroad via mercantilism, corrosive capital/predatory lending, and its Belt and Road Initiative.  Part IV discusses a few important enablers such as Chinese Organized Crime; Espionage; Social Monitoring, a Cashless Society, the Rise of a Chinese National Digital Currency; Free Trade Zones; the lack of Enforcement and AML Compliance; Communism and Immorality; and the Complicit West. 

I conclude the book with some final thoughts and recommendations.  

I would like to thank David Luna of International Coalition Against Illicit Economies (ICAIE) for writing the foreword.

As I make clear in the Introduction, this book is not about bashing China, Chinese, or Asians.  This book is about the CCP’s involvement in criminality.  The Chinese people themselves are primary victims.

I hope you find the book insightful.  Let me know.