Background

A bank was defrauded of US$150 million as a result of fraudulent transactions entered by an internal team of traders.

Our Role

Having confirmed the trades through which the funds were misappropriated, the proceeds of the fraud were forensically traced using a combination of disclosure mechanisms (including Norwich Pharmacal orders, Section 1782 orders, and requests of overseas prosecutors), open-source research, and human intelligence sources. The proceeds had been laundered through structures and assets – including diamonds, Ferraris, and real estate – spread around the world including Azerbaijan, the Bahamas, Georgia, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Seychelles, Spain, Switzerland, UK, Ukraine, and the U.S. The tracing exercise enabled external legal counsel to obtain freezing orders and, ultimately, the repatriation of value.

Outcome

The client recovered significant funds and the findings from the investigation contributed to two of the fraudsters receiving custodial sentences.