A Money Launderer's Contrasts and His Need to 'Amend the Damage'

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Humberto Aguilar’s life has been a study of polarizing contrasts. He told conference attendees at Wednesday’s general session that after graduating from the University of Florida Law school in 1978, he wanted “to be the best criminal lawyer” he could be. Yet, shortly after beginning his law practice he began laundering money for his drug-dealer clients. He was in the running for a state judgeship, but, in 1990, he was indicted on 27 counts of racketeering, money laundering and other charges for assisting his clients. “I went to prison because I committed a crime,” but he also said, “I never considered myself a criminal.” He was a peace-loving attorney who never stole from his clients, but he shot two hit men in a defensive gunfight — wounding one and killing another.

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Ranbaxy Whistleblower Congratulates, Exhorts Attendees

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Dinesh Thakur, the whistleblower in the huge Ranbaxy USA drug fraud case, challenged attendees to increase their efforts to combat health care fraud in countries beyond the U.S. “Health care fraud is one of the most heinous frauds there is,” Thakur said during the Wednesday closing general session. “And there is more of a need for you — with all the wonderful work you do in the financial area — to expand that and look at health care fraud.”

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Bitcoin: Fraud's New Best Friend

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Bitcoin: Fraud's New Best Friend

"Bitcoin is the buzzword."

Jim Butterworth, CFE, and executive director of services at ManTech, explored virtual currencies, such as Bitcoin (BTC), in his session, “Bitcoin and Virtual Economies: Fraud’s New Best Friend.” In this breakout session, Butterworth explored the concept that while virtual currencies may be the future of financial technology, they’re also stepping stones to the expansion of fraud’s playground.

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The Wolf of Wall Street: From the Prosecutor’s Seat

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When did Jordan Belfort, “The Wolf of Wall Street,” make the majority of his money committing fraud? According to former U.S. Attorney Joel M. Cohen, Belfort’s fraudulent activities picked up dramatically in 1994, after he was charged with securities fraud and barred from brokering by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

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