In this segment of AML Now, John J. Byrne, ACAMS executive vice president, spoke with Rich Weber, chief of Criminal Investigation for the IRS, about his commitment to public service and the critical role the IRS plays in financial crime prevention and detection, not only in the United States, but also around the world.

Rich Weber is chief, IRS Criminal Investigation, and oversees a worldwide staff of over 4,000 employees, including approximately 2,700 special agents who investigate potential criminal violations of the Internal Revenue Code and related financial crimes, including money laundering, narcotics and terrorist financing.

Before joining IRS CI, Weber was the deputy chief of the Investigation Division and chief of the Major Economic Crimes Bureau in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. In this position, he was responsible for managing prosecutors, investigators and analysts handling investigations into securities and commodities fraud, large-scale mortgage and insurance fraud, Ponzi schemes, international money laundering, terrorist financing, sanctions evasion, asset forfeiture and tax crimes.

Weber has had a long and distinguished career, previously serving as chief of the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section at the Department of Justice, and as an assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of New York. Weber conducted numerous major money laundering investigations and prosecutions, including some of the largest forfeitures ever entered against financial institutions for sanctions violations. During his time at the DOJ, Weber worked extensively with CI and has an excellent knowledge of that office and the IRS more generally.

Weber is a two-time recipient of the Attorney General’s John Marshall Award, the highest honor for Justice Department lawyers, for his work in promoting law enforcement’s use of asset forfeiture. He is a highly recognized legal expert, well-versed in the execution of strategies for prosecuting criminal cases at the federal level.