Dirty Money

Dirty Money describes the origin of financial investigations of narcotics traffickers through four landmark prosecutions in Los Angeles. The House that Heroin Built tells of how a major heroin dealer's purchases of luxury items, including a San Marino mansion and several expensive cars, were used to prove he was the leader of a national organization and obtain a life without parole sentence. The Hunt for the Architect details how a small bank's reports of currency deposits helped identify and bring to justice an organization which derived more than $32,000,000 from heroin and cocaine. A Very, Very Honest Lawyer concerns the detection and investigation of a sophisticated money laundering service for narcotics traffickers run by a Beverly Hills attorney. The Grandma Mafia relates how a courageous banker helped uncover a multi-million dollar money laundering and cocaine trafficking operation run by middle-aged grandmothers. The recounting of these significant cases is told by former Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Perry, who supervised the investigations and represented the government at trial.Today, financial investigations are a major weapon in the federal government's continuing fight against narcotics. This important investigative technique originated in the cases described in this book.