Tracking Down the Global Criminal

• NCJ Number: 135803
• Journal: Security Management Volume: 36 Issue: 3 Dated: (March 1992) Pages: 41,43-46
• Author(s): E J Pankau
• Date Published: 1992
• Length: 5 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

When investigating the activities, business dealings, and assets of a person believed to be doing business in foreign countries or hiding assets outside the United States, the investigator must gather pertinent information from a variety of sources.

Abstract

The investigator must document the subject's foreign travel, determine his or activities in the foreign country, discover the location of bank accounts and the subject's business relationships, and locate and interview parties having access to such information. A data base developed and maintained by the U.S. Customs Service -- the El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC) is available to police agencies. This data base records the re-entry of each person into the United States from a foreign port. It is commonly used to document the frequent travel of parties believed to be involved in drug smuggling, money laundering, or other crimes investigated by the Customs Service. EPIC information is reported to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FINCEN) in Washington, D.C. FINCEN provides this information to law enforcement and regulatory agencies interested in determining the travel history and activities of parties under examination by Federal and State agencies investigating drug, financial, regulatory, or organized crime matters. One of the easiest ways to determine the foreign business activities of an individual is to examine his or her business, personal, and mobile telephone records. Other valuable sources of information include credit card statements, bank transactions, wire transfers, telexes, overnight packages, and the subject's secretary or assistant. Determining where a subject stayed can be accomplished by checking credit card activity, hotel telephone records, photographs of people entering banks, and the purchase of money orders or traveler's checks. Information can also be obtained by going through the subject's trash.