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Asset Search Blog Financial intelligence, financial fraud investigation and legal strategy for recovering hidden assets

Monthly Archives: April 2010

Asset Search News Roundup: April 28, 2010

Posted in Asset Search News, Holocaust-Era Assets, Securities Fraud

Holocaust-era assets and securities fraudster Trevor Cook are the focus of this week’s "Asset Search News Roundup": An April 21, 2010 Bloomberg.com article explained that Berlin’s Free University went live with its website about Holocaust-era assets / "degenerate" art confiscated by the Nazis.  "During A War Everybody Loots A Little Bit", earlier mentioned that as… Continue Reading

Suing Peter Madoff For Bernard Madoff’s Securities Fraud

Posted in Asset Search/Fraud Investigation, Securities Fraud, White-Collar Crime Generally

U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg’s family foundation is one of three plaintiffs in The Lautenberg Foundation v. Madoff, 09-Civ-00816.  The Lautenberg Plaintiffs had reportedly invested approximately $8.9 million in Bernard Madoff’s Ponzi scheme.  They seek to recover losses through their February 24, 2009 complaint against Bernard Madoff’s younger brother, Peter.  Although part of the complaint was… Continue Reading

Asset Search News Roundup: April 21, 2010

Posted in Asset Search News, Bankruptcy, Financial Institutions, Swiss Banks, Tax Fraud

This "Asset Search News Roundup" concentrates on an alleged $45 million dollar tax fraud and the conviction of Mr. Dennis Hecker’s girlfriend, Christi Michele Rowan: An April 15th press release explained that property developers Mauricio Cohen Assor and his son, Leon Cohen-Levy are accused of hiding $45 million from the IRS by using nominees to… Continue Reading

Interdicting A Ponzi Schemer’s Assets

Posted in Asset Search/Fraud Investigation, Money Laundering, Securities Fraud, Tax Fraud, White-Collar Crime Generally

My most recent "Asset Search News Roundup" reported about the April 13, 2010 plea agreement executed by securities fraudster and Ponzi schemer Trevor Cook.  In this plea deal, Mr. Cook pleaded guilty to tax and mail fraud charges, agreed to make restitution and is supposed to fully disclose his assets to prosecutors.  Mr. Cook must… Continue Reading

Asset Search News Roundup: April 14, 2010

Posted in Asset Search News, Financial Institutions, Money Laundering, Securities Fraud, Tax Fraud

The guilty plea of Minneapolis money manager Trevor Cook and the Court’s dismissal of a Wisconsin lawsuit against Associated Bank, are mentioned by today’s "Asset Search News Roundup": * At a plea hearing that took 33 minutes yesterday, Trevor Cook pleaded guilty to counts one and two of his of his criminal information.  At that… Continue Reading

Wachovia Bank & Its Bank Secrecy Act Issues

Posted in Asset Forfeiture, Asset Search/Fraud Investigation, Drug-Related Assets, Financial Institutions, Money Laundering, Securities Fraud

Wachovia, one of the world’s largest international banks, is still defending itself against the Florida civil complaint described at my post "Lawsuit Claims Wachovia Bank Facilitated Alleged Ponzi Scheme".  The complaint essentially claims that Wachovia’s anti-money laundering program under the Bank Secrecy Act had failed to detect money laundering.  It was brought by the apparent… Continue Reading

Asset Search News Roundup: April 8, 2010

Posted in Asset Search News, Tax Fraud

The April 8th "Asset Search News Roundup" comments on both a revised OECD-Council of Europe tax treaty and a contested provenance case brought to recover an ancient gold tablet: An April 6th press release announced that the OECD and Council of Europe are updating a treaty aimed at helping governments fight cross-border tax evasion. The… Continue Reading

Trustee Rigby’s Latest Lawsuit Over Mastro Estate Assets

Posted in Asset Search/Fraud Investigation, Bankruptcy

My November 1, 2009 article highlighted the Chapter 7 bankruptcy case of real estate developer Michael R. Mastro. At “Trustee in Mastro bankruptcy goes after four new targets“, the Seattle Times too commented on Mr. Mastro and wrote about one of the latest lawsuits filed to recover Mr. Mastro’s bankruptcy estate assets. The lawsuit was… Continue Reading