Some people commit identity theft or aggravated identity theft and then hide their illicit gains by laundering them. This Asset Search News Roundup is therefore about both identity theft and money laundering:
- Former Drexel student Jocelyn Kirsch was sentenced on October 17th to five years in prison for aggravated identity theft, money laundering and criminal conspiracy. A criminal information filed against Ms. Kirsch and her co-conspirator Edward Anderton, had accused the two of laundering the proceeds from identity thefts through bank and PayPal accounts.
- As explained at the October 21st article "ID theft: money laundering case", Australian authorities arrested a 29-year old who had allegedly belonged to an identity theft gang and laundered over $280,000. The 29-year old was the 21st person criminally charged because of Operation Hickey, which was commenced in Australia in 2006 to investigate identity theft.
- "Criminals look for fall guys in identity theft scam", mentioned how an identity theft scam in the U.K. uses unsuspecting money mules to launder money. The U.K. trade association APACS, issued a September 25 press release about such recruitment of money mules in the UK. A recent WalesOnline article also briefly described the case of a British student who was solicited by e-mail to became a money mule.
Copyright 2008 Fred L. Abrams