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A federal investigator characterized BSA data as extremely important in determining how the defendant in a multi-million dollar fraud case spent the proceeds. FinCEN researchers recovered almost 400 Casino CTRs related to the defendant dating back more than 10 years. Although some of the casino…

Investigators looking at a drug trafficking organization were helped by Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) that a bank filed on an individual who laundered the illicit proceeds. Prosecutors charged that individual with hiding more than $800,000 belonging to an accused drug dealer involved in a…

In an innovative use of money laundering statutes, a State successfully prosecuted a defendant for violations of the Federal Bank Secrecy Act. The State’s money laundering statute includes criminal penalties for anyone attempting to avoid BSA reporting requirements and prosecutors were able to…

In a case that highlights how thoughtful analysis of FinCEN records can aid in an investigation, Federal law enforcement agents asked for FinCEN’s assistance analyzing records associated with a lawyer, and to help trace stolen funds derived from insurance settlements. As a result, a personal injury…

Nine members of a drug trafficking organization were exposed and convicted largely through evidence collected from CTRs.The defendant was known as the “money-man” of the drug trafficking organization because he was responsible for laundering the organization’s illegal proceeds from drug sales. The…

The Newark, New Jersey’s U.S. Attorney’s Office and the IRS utilized reports filed under the BSA to help build the largest Medicaid fraud case in the nation to date. This multi-agency investigation, also involving the FBI and the FDA, uncovered a New Jersey pharmacist who defrauded the Medicaid…

Members of a multi-state drug trafficking and money laundering organization have pled guilty to multiple counts of narcotics trafficking and money laundering. The organization trafficked in Oxycodone and the movement of large amounts of money between two states. The organization was identified over…

A bank filed a SAR reporting the deposit of U.S. Treasury checks to an account held by a deceased customer (a retired government employee) receiving monthly retirement benefits. The bank determined that its customer died in 1998. For two and one half years following the customer’s death, her…

The IRS-Criminal Investigation and the FBI conducted an investigation of several individuals involved in soliciting investments and deposits in a financial institution that falsely claimed Indian tribal authority and offshore-style banking privacy. The defendants used the Internet to solicit…

In early 2012, FinCEN conducted outreach to all of its state and local law enforcement partners, and asked for cases where FinCEN data played a useful role in their investigations. Below, in their own words, is an example of how FinCEN's stakeholders use FinCEN data. It has been edited only for…