The Evolution of Anti-Money Laundering

With over 200 attendees from firms across eight states, the ACAMS Connecticut Chapter event, The Evolution of Anti-Money Laundering, held at Foxwoods Resort & Casino, on February 6, 2015, was a resounding success. 

The event began with a keynote address by the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven, Connecticut, Field Office, Patricia M. Ferrick. Ferrick spoke about real-world scenarios and threats to countries around the world, specifically the U.S. Through a process of teamwork and determination, Ferrick explained how her team hinders the abilities of foreign parties from committing direct actions on American soil and American interests, specifically threats from American-born terrorists training and fighting abroad and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

Expanding on the foundation set by the keynote speaker, Panel I took on “Regulatory Trends: Current Events in AML.” With top experts in the field, Panel I discussed issues ranging from changes in compliance regulations and regulator expectations to the systematic disregard of risks by company professionals, resulting in significant personal liability. 

Panel II focused on “Compliance Officers: Views and Expectations for the BSA Officer.” Here, the Panel discussed compliance officer liability, allocation and qualifications of compliance resources, and the challenges of satisfying multiple regulators with a solid anti-money laundering (AML) program. 

Closing the morning portion of the event, Panel III spoke about “AML Investigations and SARs: What happens when you hit send?” The Panel discussed law enforcement accessibility to suspicious activity report (SAR) data, search parameters and the broad discretion held by prosecutors as to which cases to indict.   

The afternoon started with Panel IV presenting “Technology: Practices and Pitfalls in AML.”  The Panel spoke about how a focus on technology is the capstone to a robust AML program, discussing compliance expectations, software variables and user interface difficulties.  

Interspersed among the Panels were two sessions: Session I, “Educating the Next Generation of Investigators,” concentrated on the content needed for burgeoning investigators and the manner in which such content is being delivered.  Session II, “The Investigators: True Casino Investigations,”was a show and tell on real-world casino investigations and the session concluded with an optional hands-on demonstration of tools used by criminals.  

As the event came to an end, the executive board of the Connecticut ACAMS Chapter was energized with ideas on how to top the event next year.

If there was any information provided during the event by a speaker and/or vendor about which you would like to know more, please feel free to contact us at ConnecticutChapter@ACAMS.org.

The ACAMS Connecticut Chapter would like to thank our event speakers and our generous sponsors for their support:

Speakers:

  • Brendan Brothers, co-founder and director of product marketing, Verafin
  • Christopher Brauser, partner, AML RightSource
  • David L. Hall, partner, Wiggin and Dana LLP
  • Eric A. Sohn, director of business product, Dow Jones Risk & Compliance
  • Frank H. Ewing, partner, AML RightSource
  • Jeffrey A. DeClerck, senior investigator, Office of Legal Counsel, Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation
  • Jerry Longo, senior investigator, Mohegan Tribal Gaming Commission
  • Jim Finnerty, SVP and associate deputy global AML officer, TD Bank Group
  • Joram Borenstein, vice president, Marketing, Actimize
  • Michael Shove, Special Agent, U.S. Secret Service
  • Michelle Neufeld, chief compliance officer, GE Capital Americas
  • Patricia M. Ferrick, Special Agent in Charge, FBI New Haven Division
  • Paul Burgoyne , senior manager, AML services, Deloitte Transactions & Business Analytics LLP
  • Peter Balint, owner, Dominion Advisors
  • Richard J. Howells, chief compliance officer, HigherOne
  • Ross Marrazzo, managing director and audit executive, Global Compliance & Financial Crimes, GE Capital
  • Sam Somashekar, director, AML product management, Actimize
  • Sharon Blanchette, director, special projects, FIS EGRC Solutions
  • Stephen Strombelline, formerly chief compliance officer, BNP Paribas
  • Stuart Feldhamer, senior manager, regulatory compliance, Crowe Horwath LLP
  • Suzanne Lynch, professor of practice—Economic crime and director, Economic Crime Management Program, Utica College, School of Business & Justice Studies
  • Tracie Kosakowski, senior vice president and director of compliance, Citizens Bank, N.A.
  • Vasilios Chrisos, principal, Fraud Investigation & Dispute Services, Ernst & Young LLP

Sponsors:

  • AML RightSource – Elite
  • Deloitte – Platinum
  • Dominion Advisors – Platinum
  • Dow Jones – Platinum
  • Navigant – Platinum
  • Lexis Nexis – Gold
  • Verafin – Gold
  • Actimize – Silver
  • Utica College – Silver
  • Crowe Horwath – Bronze
  • FIS – Bronze

Kindest regards,
The ACAMS Connecticut Chapter Executive Board

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