Article: Fed Warned Deutsche Bank Over Anti-Money-Laundering Backsliding

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Fed Warned Deutsche Bank Over Anti-Money-Laundering Backsliding

Patricia Kowsmann and Jenny Strasburg, 30 May 2021

The Federal Reserve told Deutsche Bank AG DB 0.40% in recent weeks that the lender is failing to address persistent shortcomings in its anti-money-laundering controls, according to people familiar with the matter.

The Fed’s frustration has escalated to a point that the bank could be fined, the people said.

Deutsche Bank has poured massive resources into addressing repeated shortcomings and penalties related to allowing suspect transactions. The Fed told Deutsche Bank that instead of making progress, the German lender with a large Wall Street presence is backsliding. The regulator has said that some of the anti-money-laundering control problems require immediate attention, according to the people. Continue reading “Article: Fed Warned Deutsche Bank Over Anti-Money-Laundering Backsliding”

Article: Swiss bank to pay almost $80MN fine after admitting to money laundering charges linked to bribery scheme of football officials

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Swiss bank to pay almost $80MN fine after admitting to money laundering charges linked to bribery scheme of football officials

Paul Childs, 29 May 2021

Julius Baer, the third largest bank in Switzerland, has been ordered to pay a fine of more than $40 million and forfeit another $36 million after being found to have laundered money which was paid as bribes to football officials. The financial settlement comes amid an investigation by the US Department of Justice and is part of a deferred prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors after the DOJ said that the bank purposefully laundered cash through the US “to conceal the true nature of the payments and promote the fraud”.

The scheme saw illegal payments issued by sports marketers to officials from both FIFA and South American governing body CONMEBOL in return for rights to broadcast football matches. Continue reading “Article: Swiss bank to pay almost $80MN fine after admitting to money laundering charges linked to bribery scheme of football officials”

Article: Money laundering gang sentenced over £5 million cash-seizure which is Met’s biggest ever

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Money laundering gang sentenced over £5 million cash-seizure which is Met’s biggest ever

Rachael Davis, 29 May 2021

A gang of men has been sentenced to nearly ten years in jail after £5 million in criminal cash was seized from an apartment in Fulham. The three men were sentenced at Harrow Crown Court on Friday, May 28, after pleading guilty last year to conspiracy to conceal/disguise/convert/transfer/remove criminal property.

The Metropolitan Police ‘s long-running operation to tackle organised crime in the capital is targeting gun crime and large scale Class A drug supply. This bust has put a large scale money launderer behind bars, which the Met says will have a “major impact” on organised crime. Continue reading “Article: Money laundering gang sentenced over £5 million cash-seizure which is Met’s biggest ever”

Article: Even in the face of surging grocery prices, retail beef and pork prices cause sticker shock

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Even in the face of surging grocery prices, retail beef and pork prices cause sticker shock

Laura Reiley, 29 May 2021

As food prices continue to rise, beef and pork have surged out front.

Overall food prices rose 0.4 percent from March, and are up 1 percent from a year ago, according to data released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis on Friday. The price of pork soared 2.6 percent in the month of April and 4.8 percent from a year ago, adjusting for seasonality. And while beef and veal prices stayed fairly flat for the month, they are up 3.3 percent from a year ago.

In a season that routinely sees increased demand for beef and pork, this goes far beyond people excited to get back outside to barbecue. Continue reading “Article: Even in the face of surging grocery prices, retail beef and pork prices cause sticker shock”

Article: Fed Admonishes Deutsche Bank for Ongoing Compliance Failures

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Fed Admonishes Deutsche Bank for Ongoing Compliance Failures

Robert Schmidt and Jesse Hamilton, 29 May 2021

The Federal Reserve has privately told Deutsche Bank AG that its compliance programs aren’t up to snuff, signaling that the scandal-plagued bank is failing to adhere to a number of past accords with U.S. regulators, according to people familiar with the matter.

The Fed’s recent warning came in an annual regulatory assessment that said Deutsche Bank hadn’t improved its risk management practices despite being under confidential agreements with the central bank to fix the issues, the people said. The assessment letter has the German bank’s leaders bracing for potential sanctions, including the possibility of a large fine, said one person briefed on the matter. Continue reading “Article: Fed Admonishes Deutsche Bank for Ongoing Compliance Failures”

Article: ‘Meme’ mob behind Gamestop frenzy might still imperil soaring AMC

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‘Meme’ mob behind Gamestop frenzy might still imperil soaring AMC

Charles Gasparino, 29 May 2021

Adam Aron says he wants to ­increase his Twitter following to include about 1,000 more professed small-investor shareholders of the company he runs, AMC Entertainment.

His goal is to better “understand this phenomenon that has changed who owns AMC.” But based on the type of AMC shareholder who hangs out on Twitter, he may be surprised — and more than a little ­embarrassed — by what he finds.

AMC, of course, is the world’s largest movie-chain business, synonymous for many years with blockbuster movies, sticky floors and terribly overpriced popcorn. Continue reading “Article: ‘Meme’ mob behind Gamestop frenzy might still imperil soaring AMC”

Article: How corrupt is Britain and will the government do anything about it?

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How corrupt is Britain and will the government do anything about it?

Prem Sikka , 28 May 2021

The parliamentary debate was often framed by the minister and others around the narrative that Johnny Foreigner is corrupt and a threat to our values and global stability. The Minister said that 22 individuals from six countries have been sanctioned. No doubt, there are corrupt persons all around the world, but what about home grown corruption.

‘Serious corruption’ may be associated with bribery, misappropriation of property and much more. It is not defined in legislation, but its understanding is framed by seven policy priorities. One of these is that a practice is considered as ‘serious corruption’ if it ‘undermines a country’s democratic governance, the rule of law and human rights’. Continue reading “Article: How corrupt is Britain and will the government do anything about it?”

Article: Bolivia’s Ex Minister Charged in Bribery and Money Laundering Scheme

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Bolivia’s Ex Minister Charged in Bribery and Money Laundering Scheme

ISOBEL VAN HAGEN, 28 May 2021

Bolivia arrested its former interior minister earlier this week over an alleged bribery and money laundering scheme that enabled a U.S.-based company to secure a government contract, the U.S. Department of Justice announced on Wednesday.

Arturo Murillo, along with another former Bolivian official, Sergio Rodrigo Mendez, are accused of receiving bribes from a Florida-based company and later using the American financial system to launder those bribes. Three U.S. citizens were also charged in the scheme, which took place between November 2019 and April 2020. They were arrested in Florida and Georgia. Continue reading “Article: Bolivia’s Ex Minister Charged in Bribery and Money Laundering Scheme”

Article: Online crimes: S’pore police play key role in Interpol probe

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Online crimes: S’pore police play key role in Interpol probe

Zaihan Mohamed Yusof, 28 May 2021

Singapore police played a crucial role that led to 585 arrests and US$83 million (S$110 million) intercepted in an Asia-Pacific probe coordinated by Interpol that sought to crack down on online financial crime.

Voice phishing, romance scams and money laundering linked to online gambling were the “top three types of online financial crimes in terms of the number of cases”, the world policing body told The Straits Times yesterday. In voice phishing ruses, callers often impersonate authority figures to scam victims into providing details that would see them lose their money. Continue reading “Article: Online crimes: S’pore police play key role in Interpol probe”

Article: Special Counsel Spends $1.5 Million in Probe of Russia Inquiry

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Special Counsel Spends $1.5 Million in Probe of Russia Inquiry

Chris Strohm, 28 May 2021

The U.S. Justice Department released the first official expenditure report for the special investigation into the origins of the FBI’s Russia inquiry — providing a rare bit of insight into the secretive review more than two years after it was begun in response to demands by then-President Donald Trump.

The inquiry being led by Special Counsel John Durham spent about $1.5 million from Oct. 19 to March 31, according to the report from the Justice Department released Thursday. Of that, Durham directly spent about $934,000, mostly on personnel, while Justice Department units spent about $520,000 to support the investigation, according to the five-page report. Continue reading “Article: Special Counsel Spends $1.5 Million in Probe of Russia Inquiry”

Article: Chinese regulators vow to crack down on yuan exchange manipulation

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Chinese regulators vow to crack down on yuan exchange manipulation

Reuters, 28 May 2021

Chinese regulators including the central bank will crack down on manipulation of the forex market, according to a statement published on the central bank’s website on Thursday.

The regulators said the current foreign exchange market is largely balanced and the yuan could move in either direction in the future. They reiterated no change to the country’s currency policy, which is a managed floating exchange rate system based on market supply and demand, with reference to a basket of currencies.

The currency policy is “suitable for China’s national conditions and should be adhered to in the long run,” the statement said. Continue reading “Article: Chinese regulators vow to crack down on yuan exchange manipulation”

Article: AMC, Gamestop: Meme stocks roar back, fueled by Reddit-inspired traders

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AMC, Gamestop: Meme stocks roar back, fueled by Reddit-inspired traders

Ethan Wolff-Mann, 28 May 2021

In January 2021, the rise of retail investing and the subreddit r/WallStreetBets sparked a broader speculative movement in a few stocks that ended up disrupting trading at brokerages and culminating in a Congressional hearing.

And after a relatively quiet few months, the so-called meme stocks are back in a big way.

The movement’s mascot, GameStop (GME), ended the week up 23.6%. (Analysts from Vanda Research said that this was likely due to institutional involvement rather than a big retail push.) And the new meme stock leader is AMC (AMC), which has taken over the narrative with an enormous 108.9% gain for the week. Continue reading “Article: AMC, Gamestop: Meme stocks roar back, fueled by Reddit-inspired traders”

Article: House Hearing: Only Jamie Dimon’s Microphone Mysteriously Malfunctions During Pivotal Questioning

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House Hearing: Only Jamie Dimon’s Microphone Mysteriously Malfunctions During Pivotal Questioning

Pam Martens and Russ Martens, 28 May 2021

CEOs from the six largest banks on Wall Street testified under oath yesterday before the House Financial Services Committee. But only one CEO, Jamie Dimon, had an ear-piercing electronic sound emanate from his microphone, which blocked out the sound of his voice, when he was asked key questions by two separate members of Congress.

The situation was so bizarre that Congressman Juan Vargas, a Democrat from California, said this about the episodes: “It reminded me of the movie ‘Young Frankenstein.’ Every time they said ‘Luther’ the horses would get scared. Every time they said ‘Jamie Dimon,’ the computers would get scared.”

The first episode occurred after Congressman Al Green, a Democrat from Texas, told Dimon that two of the banks previously purchased by JPMorgan Chase had used slaves as loan collateral and at one point, after calling in a loan, the bank actually owned 1,250 slaves. Green asked Dimon: “Will you atone in the form of recompense,” and “what will you do for your banks owning human beings…?” Continue reading “Article: House Hearing: Only Jamie Dimon’s Microphone Mysteriously Malfunctions During Pivotal Questioning”

Article: China slams Biden’s renewed probe of Wuhan lab as ‘political manipulation’

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China slams Biden’s renewed probe of Wuhan lab as ‘political manipulation’

Mark Moore, 27 May 2021

The Chinese Communist Party blasted President Biden’s decision to renew the investigation into whether the coronavirus leaked from a Chinese lab as “political manipulation” and one that “does not care about facts and truth.”

Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, speaking at a press conference in Beijing on Thursday, said the US “does not care about facts and truth, nor is it interested in serious scientific origin tracing.”

“Some people in the United States claim they want the truth, but their real intention is political manipulation,” Zhao said. Continue reading “Article: China slams Biden’s renewed probe of Wuhan lab as ‘political manipulation’”

Article: Bank Julius Baer Agrees to Pay More than $79 Million for Laundering Money in FIFA Scandal

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Bank Julius Baer Agrees to Pay More than $79 Million for Laundering Money in FIFA Scandal

Department of Justice, 27 May 2021

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd. (BJB or the Bank), a Swiss bank with international operations, has admitted today in federal court in Brooklyn that it conspired to launder over $36 million in bribes through the United States to soccer officials with the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and other soccer federations, in furtherance of a scheme in which sports marketing companies bribed soccer officials in exchange for broadcasting rights to soccer matches. The proceeding was held before U.S. District Judge Pamela K. Chen.

The Bank made these admissions and entered into a three-year deferred prosecution agreement with the department in connection with a criminal information filed today in the Eastern District of New York charging the Bank with conspiring to commit money laundering. As part of this agreement, the Bank has agreed to pay more than $79 million in penalties (including a fine of $43,320,000 and forfeiture of $36,368,400) to resolve the investigation into its involvement in a money laundering conspiracy that fueled this international soccer bribery scheme. Continue reading “Article: Bank Julius Baer Agrees to Pay More than $79 Million for Laundering Money in FIFA Scandal”

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