An official website of the United States Government
Newsroom
Case Examples
A married couple structured millions of dollars through their retail cigarette business using multiple financial institutions and branches. The defendants’ businesses were dependent upon individuals purchasing the cigarettes for illicit tax-free sales in other states. To avoid scrutiny, the…
Case Examples
BSA records often play a crucial role in federal investigations of medical fraud. The records are often instrumental in seizing assets and shutting down businesses that may be perpetrating the fraud. Some of the businesses may exist on paper only, and prosecution of the perpetrators is often…
Case Examples
Federal law enforcement agencies conducting a tax refund fraud investigation uncovered at least $13.1 million in fraudulently obtained federal and state tax refunds. The lead investigator in the case said the investigation began when a bank reported anomalous automated clearing house (ACH) credits…
Case Examples
In a case that started from a proactive review of Suspicious Activity Reports, a specialized mortgage fraud task force launched an investigation that led to charges against two individuals. Bank Secrecy Act records captured many of the scheme’s intricate details, including a SAR filed on one of the…
Case Examples
Through a proactive review of SARs, law enforcement found that the purveyor of illicit devices structured millions of dollars of proceeds into a financial institution. The devices were a violation of state law and hence led to a charge of money laundering. In the indictment, prosecutors sought…
Case Examples
In a case where political corruption led to bid rigging of public housing contracts in order to defraud the government, BSA records proved instrumental in understanding the scheme. In this case, perpetrators repeatedly structured financial transactions in order to hide business relationships and…
Case Examples
Prosecutors used information directly derived from BSA records to help convict a repeat drug trafficker in Federal court. The wealth accumulated by the defendant through illicit drug sales became evident by the filing of numerous CTRs by casinos, a Form 8300 filed in conjunction with the purchase…
Case Examples
In a case initiated from the filing of a SAR, investigators found that a property owner under-reported his income for several years. All told, the defendant owed and did subsequently pay the Internal Revenue Service hundreds of thousands of dollars in back taxes, penalties, and interest. Six SARs,…
Case Examples
In February 2002, SAR information provided by an investment account firm revealed wire transfers in excess of $500,000 originated from an individual's account, through a trading company in Dubai, UAE, for transfer to Iran. Investigation disclosed the account holder had made comments to the…
Case Examples
In a case propelled by information found in BSA records, an individual pleaded guilty to numerous charges, including the production of false identification documents. Notably, as soon as investigators became aware of the suspect's activity they queried BSA records and found details related to his…