Seize & Desist

In our final conversation of the year, our SVP of Client Relations, Joanna Summers, sits down with Stefan Cassella, a former federal prosecutor with more than three decades of experience in international asset forfeiture who has authored over 50 law review articles and played a pivotal role in shaping and advancing federal asset forfeiture laws in the US and abroad.

In this episode, Joanna and Stef explore the growing role of cryptocurrency in criminal investigations and asset forfeiture, highlighting its use in money laundering, investment fraud, and sanctions evasion. 

Together, t...

In this special episode of Seize & Desist, our host, Aidan Larkin, sits down with blockchain intelligence specialist, author and Asset Reality co-founder Nick Furneaux for a behind-the-scenes look at his second book, ‘There’s No Such Thing As Crypto Crime’, and the challenges of writing it over the last two years while balancing work, family, and building a house.

Nick shares his journey from leaving school at 16 with no qualifications to becoming one of the world’s foremost authorities in crypto investigations, having analyzed over $20 billion worth of crypto-related crime and trained thousands o

“If the decision-makers keep deciding that digital assets are just this fringe thing, there’s going to be a missed opportunity”

In this episode of Seize & Desist, our host, Aidan Larkin, explores tax compliance and enforcement in cryptocurrency with Miles Fuller, the director of government solutions at Taxbit, former senior counsel with the IRS Office of Chief Counsel and former Special Assistant United States Attorney.

Miles shares his background in tax litigation with the IRS and provides insights into how Taxbit helps to trace criminal assets by combining on-chain and of...

“The bad guys are going to continue to find ways to hide money in plain sight.”

In this episode, Asset Reality’s US Compliance Officer David Tyree shares his experiences with asset seizures while working as a Resident Agent in Charge at the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

David explores the complexities of non-conviction-based forfeiture with our host Aidan Larkin, emphasising the importance of tracing the assets back to criminal activities and the influence of adverse media on law enforcement decisions.

They also delve into the gl...

“No one's taking action without a court order.”

In this special episode, we explore the complexities of cryptocurrency seizures with Joanna Summers, our SVP of Client Relations and resident seized asset specialist, after an extended introduction from David Tyree, our US Compliance Officer and former Resident Agent in Charge at the DEA.

Aidan and Joanna unpack the latest asset seizure headlines and discuss the nuances of dealing with seized assets, including the legal and operational challenges of maintaining their value for eventual disposal or return.

Th...

“It’s going to be pivotal for us to keep up with where criminals are going”

In this episode, Aidan and Kristen explore the future direction of cryptocurrency compliance.

Kristen shares her perspective on the international effectiveness of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the challenges of implementing the travel rule, and the significance of sanctions in asset recovery to combat financial crime. 

They also explore the role of stablecoins in the evolving financial landscape, the potential use of AI by criminals and the implica...

“Money laundering is often very boring…Crypto is new. It’s exciting. It’s different.”

This time on ‘Seize & Desist’, our host Aidan Larkin is joined by investigative journalist Geoff White, author of ‘The Lazarus Heist’, ‘Crime Dot Com’, and ‘Rinsed’.

In this episode, Aidan and Geoff explore the influence of modern technology on money laundering and its ties to transnational organised crime. They examine how criminals have exploited advancements in digital asset infrastructure to hide their illegal activities and emphasise the important role of investigative journalism in illuminating financial investigations i...

“The day will come that the world will begin to tokenise other real-world assets.”

In this episode, Aidan is joined by Gurvais Grigg, Chainalysis's Global Public Sector Chief Technology Officer and a former Assistant Director at the FBI. 

Together, they examine how blockchain analytics is transforming asset seizure practices by providing law enforcement with crucial new insights for financial investigations.

Gurvais offers his insights into the future of digital finance investigations and the influence of blockchain technology on various sectors. The conversation explores the signi...

“You have to fight AI with AI.”

In this episode, we're bringing you a special conversation with Matt O’Neil, co-founder and partner at 50H Consulting and former Deputy Special Agent in Charge of Cyber at the US Secret Service.

Matt shares his unique insights and experiences with our host, Aidan Larkin. Together, they delve into the challenges of asset recovery and forfeiture, especially those concerning cyber-enabled fraud. 

They discuss why the Secret Service investigates financial crimes, the importance of leveraging emerging technologies like AI to c...

“As long as you have these continued gaps in the global regulatory framework around crypto, it’s…too easy for criminals to launder funds.”

In this episode, recorded on April 30th, Aidan and David discuss everything from his early encounters with crypto and his journey into the space to the insights on the evolution of crypto crime shared in his book, ‘The Crypto Launderers’.

Together, they explore the different regulatory approaches to digital money laundering, shed light on why crypto transactions get so much attention from regulators and speculate on the excit...