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China-based Syndicates Using Fake Passports, Bribes to Undermine US AML Programs

"Chinese money laundering organizations," or CMLOs, are funneling hundreds of millions of dollars through the U.S. financial system after using fraudulent Chinese passports to open accounts, and, in some cases, paying bribes to avoid detection, federal officials warned Tuesday. A transnational crime syndicate, usually a drug cartel based in Mexico, begins the scheme by handing over illicit dollars in bulk to U.S.-based couriers employed by the CMLO, which then transfers an equivalent sum, minus a small fee, from corporate accounts in China to cartel-controlled accounts in Mexico. Foreign exchange students, delivery drivers and other individuals working as money mules for...

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