How to Launder Money
A guide for law enforcement, prosecutors and policymakers
Think current AML laws stop crime? Think again. How to Launder Money offers an unapologetic look at how value moves unimpeded by broken regulations. Written by experts—including an author who went to prison for it—this “inside story” reveals why current laws fail and provides the blueprint for real change. Stop checking boxes and start identifying actual crime.
Book Overview Of
How To Launder Money
Behind the Veil of Global Finance
Money laundering is as old as currency itself, yet the laws meant to stop it are stuck in the past. In fact, modern Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations have done little to curb crime—instead, they’ve birthed a sophisticated “criminal support” industry while burying honest businesses under a mountain of red tape. As one industry insider puts it: “This doesn’t stop money laundering; it just allows those in the know to charge more.”
The Anatomy of the Game
How To Launder Money is an unapologetic, deep-dive dissection of how value moves across the globe today, wholly unimpeded by current compliance infrastructure. We move past the cliché of “duffel bags of cash” to reveal the modern levers of finance and how they are pulled by those operating in the shadows.
From the Inside Out
This isn’t just theory; it’s an inside story. This book offers a rare peek behind the veil, featuring insights from those who have actually pulled these levers—including an author who ended up behind bars for it. While the criminals already know the rules of the game, this book is for the rest of us: the law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and policymakers who want to understand why the current system is failing.
A Path Forward
We don’t just point out the cracks; we provide the blueprint to fix them. You will learn:
Why current AML laws are counterproductive and how they weigh down legitimate commerce.
The sophisticated methods used to evade modern detection.
Concrete recommendations for smarter transaction monitoring to identify actual crimes.
The world is borderless, and the old playbook is broken. It’s time to stop checking boxes and start stopping crime.
Table of Contents
Chapters
Introduction
- Money
- Money Laundering: The Movement of Money Tied to a Crime
- Greed Versus Honest Income and Commutative Justice
- The Rinse Club
- Gold is the Gold Standard in Money Laundering
- The Art of the Bribe
- Cash
- Cryptocurrency
- Anonymity
- Entities, Management and Escape
- Real Estate
- Necrofinance
- Where Did US Anti-Money Laundering Laws Come From?
- The Damage Done by AML Laws
- Recommendations
Epilogue
Notes
Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Questions & Answers
FAQ
What is How to Launder Money about?
It is a deep-dive dissection of how value moves across the globe today, wholly unimpeded by current compliance infrastructure — and why modern Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations fail to curb crime. It closes with concrete recommendations for smarter transaction monitoring that identifies actual crime.
Who wrote the book?
George Cottrell, a British financier whose U.S. prison term for wire fraud informs his insights into financial crime, and L. Burke Files, an international financial investigator with over 45 years of experience across more than 130 countries.
Who is it for?
Law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and policymakers who want to understand why the current system is failing. The criminals already know the rules of the game — this book is for the rest of us.
What format is it available in?
Hardcover (374 pages, ISBN 9781837360406, Biteback Publishing) and audiobook (about 10.4 hours), available from the retailers listed below.