'The Wolf of Wall Street' Movie Was Financed With Stolen Money, Says DOJ (nydailynews.com)

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'The Wolf of Wall Street' Movie Was Financed With Stolen Money, Says DOJ (nydailynews.com)

Posted by BeauHD on Thursday July 21, 2016 @08:40AM from the irony-at-its-best dept.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from NY Daily News: Federal officials charged a $3.5 billion Malaysian money-laundering scheme helped finance the Leonardo DiCaprio movie "Wolf of Wall Street" -- the Hollywood tale that parallels the corruption charges. U.S. officials seek to recover $1.3 billion of the missing funds, including profits from the Martin Scorsese-directed movie that earned five Oscar nominations. The conspirators used some of their illicit cash to fund Scorsese's tale of "a corrupt stockbroker who tried to hide his own illicit profits in a perceived foreign safe haven," said U.S. Assistant Attorney General Leslie Caldwell. DiCaprio famously played the lead role of convicted fraudster Jordan Belfort, who was ordered to repay $110 million to 1,500 victims of his scam. The identified conspirators included movie producer Riza Shahriz Abdul Aziz, the prime minister's stepson, and businessman Low Taek John, a friend of Najib's family. A third scammer identified only as "Malaysian Official 1" was widely believed to be Najib. Court papers indicated that $681 million from a 2013 bond sale went directly into the official's private account. The nation's attorney-general, Mohamed Apandi, came to Najib's defense Thursday, expressing his "strong concerns at the insinuations and allegations" brought against the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). Apandi's office, after investigating the $681 million bank deposit, announced in January that the funds were a donation from the Saudi royal family. The prime minister wound up returning most of the cash. Federal officials, in their California court filing, indicated they were hoping to seize proceeds from the 2013 movie, along with luxury properties in New York and California, artwork by Vincent Van Gogh and Claude Monet, and a $35 million private jet. Investigations of 1MDB are already underway in Switzerland and Singapore, with officials in the latter announcing Thursday that they had seized assets worth $176 million. This is shaping up to be the largest U.S. Justice Department asset recovery action in history.

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Where is the disclaimer?? by NotInHere · 2016-07-21 08:42 · Score: 4, Funny

Disclaimer: Slashdot does not condone stolen money!!
1. Re:Where is the disclaimer?? by BeauHD · 2016-07-21 08:59 · Score: 1
  
  Let me take the time out of my busy schedule to direct you to the link that reads: "IsoHunt Launches Unofficial KAT Mirror." It lies directly below the story you are commenting on. There is even an arrow to point you in the right direction.
  
  Please, no need to thank me -- it's what I do!
2. Re:Where is the disclaimer?? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 23:12 · Score: 0
  
  Disclaimer: Slashdot does not condone stolen money!!
  At least, not necessarily, in most cases.
3. Re:Where is the disclaimer?? by smallfries · 2016-07-22 22:19 · Score: 1
  
  Disclaimer: Slashdot does not condone Leonardo DiCaprio.
  
  --
  Slashdot: where don knuth is an idiot because he cant grasp the awesome power of php
Confiscate DiCaprio's jets too by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 08:46 · Score: 0

Another 1%er flying around the planet lecturing everyone about climate change.
Well, this is ironic... by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 08:48 · Score: 2, Funny

or extremely fitting.
1. Re:Well, this is ironic... by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 10:18 · Score: 0
  
  This stuff just writes itself, really. If you put this out as fiction, everybody would say, "No; too improbable."
2. Re:Well, this is ironic... by sjames · 2016-07-21 11:45 · Score: 1
  
  Coming soon to a theater near you: "The Wolf of The Wolf of Wall Street".
3. Re:Well, this is ironic... by fustakrakich · 2016-07-21 14:23 · Score: 1
  
  This stuff just writes itself, really.
  Shh! Don't tell the Screen Writers Guild.
  
  --
  “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
I'm sorry by mfh · 2016-07-21 08:50 · Score: 2

But this is awesome.

--
The dangers of knowledge trigger emotional distress in human beings.
1. Re: I'm sorry by rnmartinez · 2016-07-21 08:52 · Score: 2
  
  I cannot agree more So gonna watch it again on Netflix so the DOJ can try and seize .75 from them
2. Re: I'm sorry by mykepredko · 2016-07-21 09:04 · Score: 1
  
  That's nothing - I'm going to watch it twice!
  
  --
  Mimetics Inc. Twitter
3. Re: I'm sorry by William+Robinson · 2016-07-21 15:42 · Score: 1
  
  I will wait for next movie 'The Wolf Of Hollywood' :-D
  
  --
  hilarious
4. Re: I'm sorry by Joce640k · 2016-07-21 18:00 · Score: 1
  
  If we all go and watch it on Netflix can the DOJ confiscate that, too?
  
  --
  No sig today...
Apple called by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 08:51 · Score: 1

Apple called, they what their iRONY back...
Where did the money come from? by HBI · 2016-07-21 08:55 · Score: 3, Insightful

Money laundering is the most opaque concept ever. I used to be an officer at a bank (they made all of the network guys exempt bank officers) and had to go through repeated briefings on this, and no one could explain money laundering to my satisfaction. It appears to be "transactions the government doesn't like" rather than anything in particular.

--
HBI's Law: Frequency of calling others Nazis is directly correlated with the likelihood of the accuser being Communist.
1. Re:Where did the money come from? by elrous0 · 2016-07-21 08:59 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  The money comes from illegal deals, sales, and trades. And someone wants to "launder" it to make look like it came from legitimate income or investment.
  
  --
  SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
2. Re:Where did the money come from? by gurps_npc · 2016-07-21 09:00 · Score: 1
  
  It's really really simple.
  Money laundering is the crime of hiding where the money came from.
  Now, all the regulations may be screwed about it are screwed up and complicated. But the crime itself is simple.
  Just because regulations about a crime are poorly written does not mean the crime is poorly defined.
  
  --
  excitingthingstodo.blogspot.com
3. Re:Where did the money come from? by PCM2 · 2016-07-21 09:01 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Above and beyond that ... so you're telling me a Hollywood movie ... was financed ... using accounting tricks ... that could be defined as money laundering.
  Wait a sec.
  Give me a minute to process this.
  Pressure ... in skull ... building .... NHGH
  
  --
  Breakfast served all day!
4. Re:Where did the money come from? by HBI · 2016-07-21 09:02 · Score: 1, Insightful
  
  OK, but what made them illegal? I don't believe the government when they bring charges like this, because someone discovered ex post facto that something broke the law. When they say "3.5 billion money laundering scheme", I want to know what the original money came from and why the transaction was supposedly illegal. And we rarely get that information.
  Inherently not trusting the government and the huge power such 'money laundering' accusations seem to have - no one ever seems to ask the question I am asking, and the article sure as hell doesn't say a damned thing about where the 3.5 billion came from - make me very suspicious.
  
  --
  HBI's Law: Frequency of calling others Nazis is directly correlated with the likelihood of the accuser being Communist.
5. Re:Where did the money come from? by myowntrueself · 2016-07-21 09:05 · Score: 1
  
  The money comes from illegal deals, sales, and trades. And someone wants to "launder" it to make look like it came from legitimate income or investment.
  Yes and 'illegal' means "whatever the government doesn't like"
  
  --
  In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.
6. Re:Where did the money come from? by HBI · 2016-07-21 09:06 · Score: 2
  
  If it's not poorly defined then why can't people who are supposed to be professionals in preventing money laundering patently unable to explain it effectively?
  Briefer: "Be on the lookout for money laundering!"
  Me: "Ok, so what should we be on the lookout for?"
  Briefer: "Suspicious transactions."
  Me: "Suspicious how?"
  Briefer: "Next slide!" ...
  
  --
  HBI's Law: Frequency of calling others Nazis is directly correlated with the likelihood of the accuser being Communist.
7. Re:Where did the money come from? by myowntrueself · 2016-07-21 09:06 · Score: 1
  
  It's really really simple.
  Money laundering is the crime of hiding where the money came from.
  Now, all the regulations may be screwed about it are screwed up and complicated. But the crime itself is simple.
  Just because regulations about a crime are poorly written does not mean the crime is poorly defined.
  And its not just money laundering thats illegal!!!
  If you happen to have just $9999 to deposit into your bank account THATS ILLEGAL TOO! (because its 'structuring').
  
  --
  In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.
8. Re:Where did the money come from? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 09:06 · Score: 0
  
  It's even worse when you're trying to complete a regular normal transaction and get fucked over by stupid invasion of privacy bullshit and the bank tells you it's all to reduce "money laundering" and I'm supposed to accept that shit?
9. Re:Where did the money come from? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 09:09 · Score: 0
  
  "Money laundering is the crime of hiding where the money came from."
  So if a policeman pulls me over, searches me (legal or not) and asks me where the money in my wallet came from I am legally-bound to tell them? And if I don't then it's a crime and I can be charged with *that* as an offense?
  W.T.F.
  It sounds a bit like if I'm over 21 (or 18 in more civilised countries) in a bar and the bar is raided (or similar) and I don't happen to have ID on me then I get fined for "under age drinking" simply because I can't prove that I'm over age? The crime becomes the lack of proof, not the act itself. Here be dragons in my opinion.
10. Re:Where did the money come from? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 09:14 · Score: 0
  
  Yeah, what if you need to make a legitimate deposit in the high $9000s, and don't want to be suspected of "structuring", so you split it into two deposits in the high $4000s. Is that structuring also, since you're trying to avoid structuring?
11. Re:Where did the money come from? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 09:17 · Score: 0
  
  Money laundering basically acts as the middle man. Separates the money gotten through illegal means from the person/group for safety reasons. A good example is say someone got money through drug sales, theft, and other illegal methods. This money will be confiscated if caught. Money laundering adds an extra step to reduce the chance people will discover you got your money through illegal means as well as reduce the risk of your money from being confiscated.
  Example:
  Someone stole 3.5 billion dollars from various bank accounts (say they got the account info malware). They then launder it for 3 million through a 3rd party (buy a whole bunch of visa gift cards and then sell them for cash). This person basically separated their current money from the previous stolen money making it harder to track. It can also provide a way to explain why that person has the money if it's done through a more complex scheme.
12. Re:Where did the money come from? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 09:20 · Score: 0
  
  It's simple.
  Create a business, like oh I don't know a nail salon or foot massage business. Then you send the money you've gotten through drug deals, illegal gambling, and other illegal dealings through those businesses as "legitimate" transactions. And pay yourself on the back end from the business. It looks like income from the business and appears you're getting a legitimate income from the business. When in fact those businesses only get 1-10 legit customers a day, but on paper they are handling $10,000s of per day.
  You could also watch Breaking Bad. They use a carwash. But the concept is the same. Problem lies in if you are too "successful" with your illegal money gains. Meaning you have millions in cash, but a legit carwash/nail salon/foot massage place only does a few $100k per year in revenue. So you either have to have many businesses or risk getting red flagged for an audit because your carwash is doing $10 million in revenue per year, when all others are only doing $500k
13. Re:Where did the money come from? by Attila+Dimedici · 2016-07-21 09:23 · Score: 1
  
  My understanding from other stories is that the money came from investors in the 1MDB fund...and the profits were paid out to specific people, who may or may not have also been investors.
  
  --
  The truth is that all men having power ought to be mistrusted. James Madison
14. Re:Where did the money come from? by alexander_686 · 2016-07-21 09:27 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  Laws have to factor in both actions and intent. If one relied on only one or the other abuses could occur. I suspect that you are having issues with the nebulas nature of intent.
  Most fraud and white collar rely more highly on this than other crimes. Partly this is because criminals are more inventive and imaginative then legislators. Partly this is because the western legal system is designed to ban actions, not proscribe actions. i.e., if a law says you can't do something than you can do it.
  I share some of your unease on overreaching laws but I think intent has to a important factor.
15. Re: Where did the money come from? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 09:31 · Score: 0
  
  Yep. When I worked in the industry ALL suspicious transactions that were over a certain amount were transmitted to FDIC / OTS. Suspicious could be whatever the compliance officer wanted to capture. Not sure how it was processed by the Feds but they had the data if they ever wanted to investigate.
16. Re: Where did the money come from? by myowntrueself · 2016-07-21 09:32 · Score: 1
  
  Yep. When I worked in the industry ALL suspicious transactions that were over a certain amount were transmitted to FDIC / OTS. Suspicious could be whatever the compliance officer wanted to capture. Not sure how it was processed by the Feds but they had the data if they ever wanted to investigate.
  HAVING money is suspicious!
  
  --
  In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.
17. Re:Where did the money come from? by BitterOak · 2016-07-21 09:32 · Score: 2
  
  OK, but what made them illegal?
  The original source of the money doesn't have to be illegal to trigger money laundering laws. It's the act of hiding transactions from the government (which may be otherwise legal or illegal) which is illegal. Even making repeated deposits or withdrawals in amounts just under $10,000 to avoid reporting requirements counts as money laundering even if there was no illegal activity involved in procuring the money.
  
  --
  If I can be modded down for being a troll, can I be modded up for being an orc, or a balrog?
18. Re:Where did the money come from? by queazocotal · 2016-07-21 09:33 · Score: 2
  
  In this case, as I understand it, bribery. Large amounts of money paid to corrupt malaysian government officials.
  Dealing with the proceeds of this in the USA is not legal, and it is treated as simply as if the people involved walked into a bank and stole it.
  The regulations - or earlier versions of them - were in force at the time of the original deposits into US institutions.
19. Re:Where did the money come from? by elrous0 · 2016-07-21 09:34 · Score: 2
  
  The details are complicated, but in this case most of the money apparently came from misappropriation of Malaysian government funds that were supposed to go towards local economic development and some big bribes from a Saudi oil company.
  
  --
  SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
20. Re:Where did the money come from? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 09:38 · Score: 0
  
  No if you have $9999 to deposit over and over again then it becomes illegal.
21. Re:Where did the money come from? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 09:38 · Score: 0
  
  Yup, now your "Smurfing". Dividing you deposits into smaller amounts to avoid being reported.
22. Re:Where did the money come from? by cmiller173 · 2016-07-21 09:45 · Score: 2
  
  The link to the justice departments press release explains more than the op or the poorly edited nydailynews.com article.
  It appears that officials of the Malasian govt stole the money from a Malasian government development fund that is/was intended to fund gov't projects.
  click where it says " seize proceeds from the 2013 movie, " in the op, or https://www.justice.gov/opa/sp...
23. Re:Where did the money come from? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 09:46 · Score: 0
  
  The Money was Stolen by Malaysian Government Officials in this case. Then Laundered in the U.S. to hid the fact it was Stolen.
24. Re:Where did the money come from? by AK+Marc · 2016-07-21 10:12 · Score: 1
  
  Usually drugs, sometimes trafficking. When you sell $1B in drugs and have $1B in cash, if you spend it, people will ask where you got it from (any transaction over $10k is reported to the feds). So you have to make it appear legal, and declare it as legal income, so you are "legal" with the IRS and FBI/DEA (separate rules, and either will send you to jail for your illegal income). So you take your $1B and declare it as gambling winnings, invest it, mix it with other money, extract it, and treat it like it was a gain from the other money, or any of the other laundering techniques. Then you have $1B (minus taxes) free and clear, and any audit that doesn't go back before the laundering will show it to be 100% legal (if your laundering is done right).
  
  --
  Learn to love Alaska
25. Re:Where did the money come from? by fustakrakich · 2016-07-21 10:18 · Score: 1
  
  Where does it come from? Isn't it obvious? HSBC of course!
  
  --
  “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
26. Re:Where did the money come from? by AK+Marc · 2016-07-21 10:23 · Score: 1
  
  People at the bank can't know whether it's money laundering. It's beyond their scope of business to determine whether the $1M came from a hit to execute Jonbenet Ramsey, or undelcared income from carpentry. They report the "suspicious" income to the feds, and the feds investigate. Most "investigations" are adding the transaction to a file, and a real investigation doesn't happen until the file is thick enough. Then they investigate the person, looking for actual illegal activity.
  
  Laundering legal money is technically illegal, but almost never prosecuted (unless they "know" you are doing something illegal, but can't make it stick).
  
  --
  Learn to love Alaska
27. Re:Where did the money come from? by guruevi · 2016-07-21 10:25 · Score: 1
  
  Yes. If you have near 10k in transactions from/to the same places over an unspecified time period, you are guilty. You just have to make sure it doesn't look like you are structuring to a civil administrator, judge and/or jury.
  
  --
  Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com
28. Re:Where did the money come from? by AK+Marc · 2016-07-21 10:26 · Score: 1
  
  Nope. That's not illegal. one deposit a day of $9999 for two weeks is illegal structuring. A single "suspicious" deposit is not illegal. And it's not structuring. Structuring requires that you have more than $10k that you deliberately split to avoid hitting the $10k limit. $5k a day for two weeks, with none before and after would also likely trigger alerts for structuring, and has nothing to do with $9999.
  
  --
  Learn to love Alaska
29. Re:Where did the money come from? by Aighearach · 2016-07-21 10:31 · Score: 1
  
  OK, but what made them illegal?
  Statutes.
  You haven't identified a difficult to understand concept, you're just being willfully obtuse and intellectually dishonest and pretending you don't understand. More likely, you don't like some of the laws, and so are passive-aggressively denying that their existence is well-documented.
30. Re: Where did the money come from? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 10:50 · Score: 0
  
  So, if you have any consecutive set of deposits kind of close to each other that add up to over $10k and if there's a compliance officer and federal prosecutor who don't like your face, you're clearly structuring and you'll get indicted with every charge the prosecutor can think of with penalties adding up to a thousand years in prison. But if you can't spend a fortune and years of your life risking that on a dozen people too dumb to get out of jury duty, you can plea bargain for a couple of years of prison and probation, plus never again having a decent job.
  due process
31. Re:Where did the money come from? by PRMan · 2016-07-21 10:54 · Score: 1
  
  Tell that to Kent Hovind. His ministry deposited amounts in the $9000s every week because that was the amount of money they were receiving from donations. He went to jail for over 10 years because of this (perhaps because he was a very outspoken young earth creationist).
  
  --
  Peter predicted that you would "deliberately forget" creation 2000 years ago...
32. Re:Where did the money come from? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 10:55 · Score: 0
  
  Yeah, I think I managed to sum it up here.
33. Re:Where did the money come from? by Ecuador · 2016-07-21 11:17 · Score: 1
  
  Say you receive $1,000,000 from selling drugs. You can't just go around spending it because you can't explain where you got it. In fact, in the US the police can outright confiscate money and you have to prove they came from legal sources. So, what do you do? You open a laundermat and you start spending your $1,000,000 on it in various ways that either require some "interesting" accounting, or paying undocumented salaries, buying equipment with cash etc. However, whatever income your laundermat makes is perfectly legitimate and you can spend without worrying.
  Laundering money costs of course. E.g. your laundermat business will appear in the books for example as having a $20k/week revenue, $10k/week expenses for $10k/week earnings, when in fact you are pumping in another $20k/week in undocumented "dirty money", effectively making 1 clean dollar for every 2 dirty ones and before the year is over you will have converted your "hot" million to a "clean" half a mil.
  You can also find someone who does this for you through their business, so you give them undocumented dirty money and they "pay" you for "services" with less, but "clean", money.
  
  --
  Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. Polar Scope Align for iOS
34. Re:Where did the money come from? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 11:21 · Score: 0
  
  And since you are asking about where the 3.5 billion came from, it is probably the latter, i.e. it is a business that takes money no-questions-asked and gives you less, but legitimate money. They spend it in various ventures, such as movies apparently!
  So, a money-launder business doesn't know or care where the money came from, but the "laundering" itself is still illegal! Similar to how it is illegal to buy stolen property.
35. Re:Where did the money come from? by mspohr · 2016-07-21 11:22 · Score: 1
  
  I get rent checks totaling over $10K each month. However, since some people pay on time and others are chronically late, I typically have two (or more) deposits each month each less than $10K.
  Is this illegal money laundering?
  
  --
  I don't read your sig. Why are you reading mine?
36. Re:Where did the money come from? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 11:28 · Score: 0
  
  Or interpretations thereof. General legal consensus now is the agencies have no basis to validly interpret them, because they interpret them how they want, subjectively, much like the courts treat the laws.
  That is how the treasury department rather astonishingly decrees that anti-counterfeiting (defacement) statute gets to allow them to ban melting-down coins. The point of metal coins, of course, is so that when the issuer begins to devalue you them you can cash-out and refactor them into a new kind of coin which hasn't been devalued, and the coins are the property of the holder--not treasury department--but because it kept devaluing coins they would have been put out of business by people doing just that, and lacking congressional authorization they decreed melting was defacement or counterfeiting.
  Definitionally, it is not. But it's illegal because officials want it to be: they might be put out of work otherwise.
37. Re:Where did the money come from? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 11:28 · Score: 0
  
  unless they "know" you are doing something illegal, but can't make it stick
  That's just a convoluted way of saying, they want you to be guilty but they don't have any evidence of a crime. You know, like when you're innocent, no crime has been committed or they've got the wrong guy.
  The real world ain't like the movies, when you're guilty there is almost always ample evidence to convict. Even when there is scant evidence to convict, you will still be convicted.
  I don't know what the fuck happened in the OJ case, but that is definitely the exception rather than the rule.
38. Re:Where did the money come from? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 11:34 · Score: 0
  
  Your country sounds fucked up. When I go to the bank to make a deposit there is a field to specify what the deposit is for. If you're receiving donations for a church every week, why would you not A: open the account in the name of the church and B: write donations in the field describing the deposit?
  If the income appears on each deposit slip as a donation, and is declared on their church's non-profit, I don't see how he could go to jail for it anymore than if they were donations of $12k or $100k every week.
  You're either misrepresenting the case, or you have the worst legal system in the entire world.
39. Re:Where did the money come from? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 11:39 · Score: 0
  
  It sounds a bit like if I'm over 21 (or 18 in more civilised countries) in a bar and the bar is raided (or similar) and I don't happen to have ID on me then I get fined for "under age drinking" simply because I can't prove that I'm over age? The crime becomes the lack of proof, not the act itself. Here be dragons in my opinion.
  It's pretty easy to get fines revoked. In this instance you would just go down to the police station with your fine and your proof of age, and *poof* no more fine. I guess it is kind of crap having to take time out to do paperwork.
  I've got fines revoked for things I did deserve, like driving without a warrant of fitness on my vehicle and carrying passengers on a restricted license. In both cases I deserved the fine, but because I got the WoF and corrected license within 30 days, the fines were waived.
40. Re:Where did the money come from? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 11:55 · Score: 0
  
  I get rent checks totaling over $10K each month. However, since some people pay on time and others are chronically late, I typically have two (or more) deposits each month each less than $10K.
  Is this illegal money laundering?
  Please....
  That doesn't mean your financial institution didn't have to investigate and/or report it.
41. Re:Where did the money come from? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 12:03 · Score: 0
  
  In this case, there is plenty of evidence of crime, but the jurisdiction is under control of Malaysian Official Number 1, who has already sacked the attorney general, the deputy Prime Minister and others to replace them with people that will accept his payoffs to defend him, and has just passed a law giving authority to the Prime Minister to order extra-judicial arrests and indefinite detention without trial, ostensibly because "terrorism", but everyone in Malaysia knows how the law will actually be used.
  As a Malaysian taxpayer, I have mixed feelings about this seizure. On the one hand, I would rather the US government had my tax dollars than the individuals involved, but on the other, there is no way I can condone my tax dollars being used to build a wall, or a database of certain classes of people "until we figure out what is going on".
42. Re:Where did the money come from? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 12:50 · Score: 0
  
  If you're really interested in where the money came from, and why it is illegal, start with reading websites that have been blocked by the Malaysian government in the past year that this has been dragging out for.
43. Re:Where did the money come from? by JoeMerchant · 2016-07-21 13:00 · Score: 1
  
  If the government didn't mind the transactions, then it wouldn't be laundering, it would just be obscure. When you've got "bad" transactions that are made obscure, that becomes laundering.
  Think of it like resisting arrest - if nobody's trying to arrest you, then it's O.K. to run from the cops - as long as you don't look too guilty while you're doing it, otherwise, they'll assume you've done something bad and try to stop you.
44. Re:Where did the money come from? by AK+Marc · 2016-07-21 13:05 · Score: 1
  
  Yes. It's more like a form of civil forfeiture. 3 Felonies a Day, and all that.
  
  --
  Learn to love Alaska
45. Re:Where did the money come from? by AK+Marc · 2016-07-21 13:10 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Tax fraud and other charges were laid, structuring was added as one of many charges, though the anti-structuring people make it sound like it was the only thing he was investigated/charged with. Guilty of 58 charges, but you make it sound like the one structuring charge was the only thing he was investigated and charged with.
  
  He argued that his for-profit amusement park was not taxable because it belonged to God.
  
  --
  Learn to love Alaska
46. Re:Where did the money come from? by AK+Marc · 2016-07-21 13:17 · Score: 1
  
  It likely has already been reported as such, and you were looked at, and ignored. Someone with 10k a month in two inequal deposits of varying amounts that are substantially similar looks like someone with $10k a month in income, nothing more. Drug deals and such have sporadic income and lumps of substantially equal deposits in clusters.
  
  You were likely investigated for structuring already, and didn't even know it. You file taxes on all the income (presumably) and the source is listed and is legal, so everything should be provably legit to anyone glancing over your finances.
  
  --
  Learn to love Alaska
47. Re:Where did the money come from? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 13:28 · Score: 1
  
  Didn't you watch Breaking Bad? They spent half the season demonstrating how the big guys do it.
48. Re:Where did the money come from? by jandrese · 2016-07-21 13:59 · Score: 1
  
  It's not illegal to deposit a big chunk of money, you just have to fill out a form explaining how you got it. Trying to avoid the form by splitting up the deposit is what gets you in trouble, but the trouble is just "gotta fill out the form". If you can't fill it out or you lie on it then you can find yourself in real trouble.
  
  --
  
  I read the internet for the articles.
49. Re:Where did the money come from? by jandrese · 2016-07-21 14:02 · Score: 1
  
  Did you fill out a form at the bank explaining that they are rent checks? Or maybe explained it to the teller when you made the deposit? Then it's not illegal. People are acting like making a big deposit (or a few smaller deposits) is going to send you right to jail, when all it does it cause a bit more hassle as the bank is forced to do due diligence.
  
  --
  
  I read the internet for the articles.
50. Re:Where did the money come from? by Aighearach · 2016-07-21 14:17 · Score: 1
  
  No, see, when they investigate you if they find out that you just got a payment from somebody for $9999 and deposited it, then no problem, and no charges.
  The problem is that none of the popular stories on AM radio that ask people to be outraged about this are that sort of situation. None of the famous cases were people who actually just deposited the amount of money they received. They all were intentionally structuring their payments to avoid automatic human review of the transaction, and they have excuses for why they didn't mean to do anything wrong. But none of the excuses were, "I wasn't trying to avoid triggering review." Of course they were trying to avoid review. That is why we have jury trials, and these are not emotional cases where it is easy to get railroaded. These are boring trials, and if you're found guilty, it is because there was evidence of wrongdoing. Don't structure what you deposit in the bank based on the sizes of transaction that trigger review. Just deposit what makes business sense to deposit, do your accounting according to what is actually true, and none of these laws will touch you. Transactions will either be the same size on both ends, or they will be aggregated based on being from the same day/week/month/whatever.
  If you're paying your taxes, you probably don't even have a reason to avoid review. If your banker warns you that a transaction will be reported to the IRS, is that OK because you pay your taxes, or do you need to cancel the transaction, and change the sizes of what you deposit so that the IRS won't be notified?
51. Re:Where did the money come from? by Aighearach · 2016-07-21 14:20 · Score: 1
  
  Yeah, what if you need to make a legitimate deposit in the high $9000s, and don't want to be suspected of "structuring", so you split it into two deposits in the high $4000s. Is that structuring also, since you're trying to avoid structuring?
  Yes. Don't do it. If the amount is in the high $9000s, let it be. If it is $10,001, let it be. Let it be the natural, normal, correct size for whatever you were actually doing, instead of some re-sized amount that tries to react to bank reporting cutoff points.
52. Re:Where did the money come from? by Darinbob · 2016-07-21 14:22 · Score: 1
  
  I don't think that by itself that doing the equivalent of money laundering is illegal. It's only when it's done to help mask a crime or avoid taxes that it becomes criminal. Though rules will certainly vary country to country. However almost no one goes to all the trouble of laundering money when there's not a crime involved because it's not free.
53. Re: Where did the money come from? by Aighearach · 2016-07-21 14:24 · Score: 1
  
  Well, having a small enough amount of money that you're worried about if it is near $10k or not is definitely suspicious. Where did this poor schmuck get this pittance, anyways? And why is he paranoid just over people knowing that he has it?
54. Re:Where did the money come from? by fustakrakich · 2016-07-21 14:39 · Score: 1
  
  I wonder if they'll ever look into Get Shorty.
  But really, if you want to securely launder drug money, just take it to the bank. They are invincible to any prosecution.
  
  --
  “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
55. Re:Where did the money come from? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 14:48 · Score: 0
  
  The 3.5 Billion came from the "street value" of illegal drugs. Simple formula: weigh the drugs, calculate the value as if every microgram was sold individually at the highest price ever. So, pot if calculated by the price per joint...and I really don't know about any other illegal drug sales.
  It's like saying the value of a carton of cigarettes is equal to $3 a cigarette, because some small markets sell individual cigarettes in some poor parts of town for $3 a cig.*
  Same thing. Same mentality with asset forfeiture. Why part of someone's wealth when they can go after all of it?
  * For all I know a carton of cigarettes these days could be much higher than that.
56. Re:Where did the money come from? by tsotha · 2016-07-21 14:49 · Score: 1
  
  What makes it complicated for people who work at financial institutions is walking the tightrope between "know your customer" laws and privacy statutes.
57. Re:Where did the money come from? by tsotha · 2016-07-21 14:58 · Score: 1
  
  No, a single transaction just under ten grand isn't illegal. But five transactions over five days, or from five different banks, each just under $10k? That's going to get you into trouble. You could ask Dennis Hastert, if they'll let you visit him in jail.
  The sad thing is all structuring requires is intent. If you have $15k, and you decide to split it into two transactions, you have already broken the law independent of whether or not you follow through with the transactions.
  Incidentally, that $10k limit is only for certain types of transactions. Other types have lower limits, and there isn't anywhere official you can go to find out what those limits are or what kind of transactions they apply to. Even if nobody at the bank files a Suspicious Transaction Report, your transaction may still go to the government.
58. Re:Where did the money come from? by tsotha · 2016-07-21 15:03 · Score: 1
  
  No, the reporting requirements are all about cash. If you're getting checks the government already knows where the money is coming from. The only way this is going to get you into trouble is if you pull the money out in cash and then deposit it somewhere else in small increments.
59. Re:Where did the money come from? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 15:09 · Score: 0
  
  Even making repeated deposits or withdrawals in amounts just under $10,000 to avoid reporting requirements counts as money laundering
  
  No it doesn't dumb fuck. What you describe is called structuring.
60. Re:Where did the money come from? by tsotha · 2016-07-21 15:16 · Score: 1
  
  The problem is that none of the popular stories on AM radio that ask people to be outraged about this are that sort of situation.
  There are a few legit outrages. There are people who have had their money seized by the government because all their cash deposits came in under $10k. In a lot of cases the reason they were making smaller deposits is because their insurance company required them to have less than $10k in cash on the premises. Small deposits aren't a crime in and of themselves - it's only a crime if the intent is to evade currency reporting requirements. In general federal agents just assume you're engaged in structuring if you make smaller deposits, but when they do that they're not following the law, and the IRS has had to return the money in hundreds of cases.
61. Re:Where did the money come from? by Aighearach · 2016-07-21 16:06 · Score: 1
  
  "Government workers make mistakes" is not in itself a reasonable argument against a particular policy, though. I don't doubt it is inconvenient if you get caught up in it. But that doesn't mean that the policy itself is hard to understand. Cops arrest the wrong people frequently, and often when no crime was committed.
62. Re:Where did the money come from? by kinko · 2016-07-21 16:30 · Score: 1
  
  in this case, 1MDB transferred some money to an account owned by a company with a very similar name to another investment company, and claimed it was for investment purposes. (The 'fake' company was controlled by insiders, and was named to looked like it was a Saudi-owned investment fund.) The money from the shell account was transferred through multiple other shell accounts through multiple jurisdictions, to try to hide the paper trail.
63. Re:Where did the money come from? by NotAPK · 2016-07-21 18:36 · Score: 1
  
  "If you can't fill it out or you lie on it then you can find yourself in real trouble."
  And everyone just accepts this as OK?
  Why should the bank know any more about me or my life than they already do?
  I don't buy "preventing money laundering" as some kind of justified objective. In my mind, it's not.
64. Re:Where did the money come from? by NotAPK · 2016-07-21 18:37 · Score: 1
  
  "If you have $15k, and you decide to split it into two transactions, you have already broken the law independent of whether or not you follow through with the transactions."
  Then it's a ridiculous law. Just my opinion, but frankly downright ridiculous.
65. Re:Where did the money come from? by tsotha · 2016-07-21 20:28 · Score: 1
  
  "Inconvenient" is a pretty mild description when you business goes under because the government has taken all your operating capital. In any event, they should know better. This isn't a case of a life-or-death decision that has to be made in a split second.
66. Re:Where did the money come from? by tsotha · 2016-07-21 20:31 · Score: 1
  
  I agree. I suspect most people would agree if they knew what the law is, but you have to be a small business owner or a poker player or some such to deal with that kind of cash. Most people in the US don't even have $15k.
67. Re:Where did the money come from? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 22:56 · Score: 0
  
  OK, but what made them illegal? I don't believe the government when they bring charges like this, because someone discovered ex post facto that something broke the law. When they say "3.5 billion money laundering scheme", I want to know what the original money came from and why the transaction was supposedly illegal.
  The most common thing would be tax evasion. You might have acquired the money legally, but since the government is entitled to their share you hid them.
  Whenever you want to spend some of that money you have to create a paper trail that shows that you didn't evade taxes.
  More spectacular would be income from criminal activity. You might have income from drug sales or whatever, but you can't really use that money because the government and by extension law enforcement thinks it is suspicious when someone gets a lot of money without a trace.
  Sure, you can use it to pay your henchmen or whatnot, but what is the point if you can't get a mansion and that nice car you want. To buy those without getting caught you have to show that you got that money by legal means.
  My favorite method would be to paint one of those nice single color paintings that you then sell to an unknown collector in a second world nation for a couple of million dollars.
  You transfer some of the hidden money to the buyer. He keeps his share and buys the painting legally and suddenly you have a legit paper trail that ends with some Russian billionaire.
  (It is my favorite because you see it in the news fairly often with some unknown rich dude buying a painting painting a toddler could have made from an artist you never heard of.)
68. Re: Where did the money come from? by mspohr · 2016-07-22 00:47 · Score: 1
  
  Thanks for the clarification.
  
  --
  I don't read your sig. Why are you reading mine?
69. Re: Where did the money come from? by mspohr · 2016-07-22 00:51 · Score: 1
  
  Thanks.
  I guess that's reassuring.
  I do report the income on my taxes but I'd hate to get caught up in a witch hunt.
  
  --
  I don't read your sig. Why are you reading mine?
70. Re:Where did the money come from? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-22 01:39 · Score: 1
  
  It's not preventing money laundering, its eliminating a vector that might involve the Bank in money laundering in the eye of the law. This is the one single most important risk factor in money laundering.
  Seriously, you think that Banks really care about money laundering and fraud? The couldn't give a shit really - they'd rather ignore it and make a shit ton of money on it.That's why laws and legislation on this subject are really draconian and constraining for banks themselves, to force them to play nice.
  The thing is, it also protects you in some ways - you can be warned that money you got is suspicious and could help you avoid or reduce the impact of fraud (pyramidal, investment, etc.) It's really easy to weed out victims from perpetrator in most cases - it's nice to know that you've been used. Obviously you'll say only stupid people are taken in on this, sure, but if stupid means lower than average, it's still 50% of people.
  Also at the teller level, who do not have a overview of money flow, it is pretty much the only thing that can unequivocally identify (either unwillingness to fill it, lying on it or putting someone flagged without knowing - usually victims) - the other is the client behavior (stressed, evasive, etc.). Tellers are not expected to be investigators, so they fall back on the forms.
  If you do not want to fill in the form, that's great, just don't give it to a bank - they must conform to international and US laws and the last thing a bank wants was to be cited not following those legislations - it is incredibly costly for them in terms of money and reputation. Anyone handling money professionally around the world must conform also.
  I'm trying to just explain the situation and not the why, or is it effective, or not. Structuring detection or that form are the single most important risk factors and leads with a very high % to non-organized fraud and laundering (e.g. not coming from the mafia or incredibly organized efforts, which is the hardest to catch - they won't be stupid and structure or lie on those forms). At the end of the day, yes, it is usually the low hanging fruit for the feds and such to catch, but only because organized efforts are really hard and costly to catch. But this is another debate.
  The bottom line, banks do not have to accept suspicious money (but they would if it was not for draconian laws) and not being willing to fill the form or structuring is the biggest indication of suspicion, and the only one they can identify right away. Don't bring them your money if you don't want to fill it.
71. Re:Where did the money come from? by myowntrueself · 2016-07-22 02:04 · Score: 1
  
  It's not illegal to deposit a big chunk of money, you just have to fill out a form explaining how you got it. Trying to avoid the form by splitting up the deposit is what gets you in trouble, but the trouble is just "gotta fill out the form". If you can't fill it out or you lie on it then you can find yourself in real trouble.
  That kind of nosiness is the kind of thing that causes libertarianism... Please, get rid of the Nanny state and we won't have libertarians any more...
  
  --
  In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.
72. Re:Where did the money come from? by myowntrueself · 2016-07-22 02:05 · Score: 1
  
  The problem is that they feel the need to investigate.
  Its none of their business.
  
  --
  In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.
73. Re: Where did the money come from? by myowntrueself · 2016-07-22 02:06 · Score: 1
  
  Well, having a small enough amount of money that you're worried about if it is near $10k or not is definitely suspicious. Where did this poor schmuck get this pittance, anyways? And why is he paranoid just over people knowing that he has it?
  Oh of course, I forgot; if you did nothing wrong you shouldn't be worried about privacy.
  
  --
  In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.
74. Re:Where did the money come from? by Asgard · 2016-07-22 02:40 · Score: 1
  
  Money laundering is obscuring where money came from. If you walk into a bank with $3M in cash, its going to be noticed. However, if you sell a ton of $Drug for $3M cash, and own a cash-heavy / inventory-light business such as a strip-club or casino, you inject the cash into that business over time with fake transactions and treat it as ordinary income. You pay taxes on it and to everyone it looks like you are operating a particularly successful business, and you have legit cash in the bank.
  In this way you've obscured that the money came from an illicit deal and made it appear legitimate. Any business that can do a lot of turnover without a lot of inventory (as someone might notice if your bar is doing a ton of business but never buying inventory) is a candidate.
  For larger non-cash sums you can do things with offshore fake businesses; make a 'startup' offshore, then sell it to another offshore entity and bank the cash / declare it on your taxes. The fact that it didn't really exist is hard for on-shore regulators to notice, and now you've got a bunch of legit taxes-paid cash in your wallet.
  http://www.businessinsider.com... describes some more schemes.
75. Re:Where did the money come from? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-22 02:50 · Score: 0
  
  Checks? No, I don't think you need to worry. These laws are about cash. With checks its easy to see where the money is coming from, so no reason for suspicion.
76. Re:Where did the money come from? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-22 03:15 · Score: 0
  
  Please consider "The Producers" a hilarious Mel Brooks script written just about this :D
77. Re:Where did the money come from? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-22 04:36 · Score: 0
  
  Typically money that needs to be laundered comes from:
  Illegal drug sales
  prostitution
  extortion
  fraud
  and pretty much any other criminal activity that generates large amounts of cash. The criminal cannot take his sacks of cash, sometimes with marked bills mixed in, to the bank because the bank would report to the fed that Joe Criminal who makes $35k/year on paper just deposited $150k cash, at which point the feds would investigate, determine that there was no legit origin for the cash and seize it and start an investigation into Joe Criminal. In comes the money launderer and runs the cash through a legit business (oh look, my casino was more profitable this week and made this extra sack of money, go deposit it with the rest of the cash at the bank; by the way this was one of the main reasons that the mob created Las Vegas and the casinos). Once the money goes through the legit business, which pays taxes etc. they can transfer it, less their fee, overhead, taxes, etc., back to the criminal by listing him as a "consultant." Joe Criminal gets $75k of laundered money deposited into his bank and it doesn't get seized of flagged by the fed.
78. Re:Where did the money come from? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-22 06:15 · Score: 0
  
  Yeah, that's about right.
  If you rob a bank, sell drugs for cash, etc (basically, get money from committing crime), and you just go deposit it in your bank account, you'll get in trouble at tax-time because it will quickly be obvious that your money came from crime victims.
  Money laundering is a step that gives you plausible deniability "No, that money didn't come from mugging people on my street, it came from people buying lemonade at my lemonade stand! Honest!"
79. Re:Where did the money come from? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-22 06:28 · Score: 0
  
  Say for example you have a foundation named after you - that is supposed to do good work but most sites that rate charities say most of the money goes to overhead. Say you are a government official that would help you get the paper work so that you buy the uranium rights of the country you represent without too many people asking questions.
  You can't simply have a check written to you that would be too obvious. Your charity can accept donations though.
  or have your husband or daughter give a talk
  or have your daughter get a $600k intern job.
  you get the idea - nothing illegal here - just the numbers are all out of whack which hint at something else going on.
80. Re:Where did the money come from? by jandrese · 2016-07-22 06:47 · Score: 1
  
  True. If you want criminals to avoid any chance of being caught while moving their loot around a Libertarian state is nearly ideal.
  
  --
  
  I read the internet for the articles.
81. Re:Where did the money come from? by Anonymous+Cow+Ward · 2016-07-22 07:03 · Score: 1
  
  I think usually it's drug money, or profits from racketeering, smuggling, etc. Sometimes it's coupled with tax dodges or fraud.
  
  --
  Examine even your most deeply held beliefs. Nobody is always right.
82. Re:Where did the money come from? by myowntrueself · 2016-07-22 07:34 · Score: 1
  
  True. If you want criminals to avoid any chance of being caught while moving their loot around a Libertarian state is nearly ideal.
  The libertarian would argue that the government is the organized crime syndicate.
  
  --
  In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.
83. Re:Where did the money come from? by RespekMyAthorati · 2016-07-22 19:02 · Score: 1
  
  If it's not poorly defined then why can't people who are supposed to be professionals in preventing money laundering patently unable to explain it effectively?
  That's easy.
  They can explain it effectively, just not to a retard like you.
84. Re:Where did the money come from? by RespekMyAthorati · 2016-07-22 19:05 · Score: 1
  
  (perhaps because he was a very outspoken young earth creationist)
  No, it was because he was a fucking crook.
85. Re:Where did the money come from? by RespekMyAthorati · 2016-07-22 19:10 · Score: 1
  
  The problem is that they feel the need to investigate. Its none of their business.
  That's right. Crime is none of the justice department's business.
  
  Retard.
86. Re:Where did the money come from? by myowntrueself · 2016-07-23 16:54 · Score: 1
  
  The problem is that they feel the need to investigate.
  Its none of their business.
  That's right. Crime is none of the justice department's business.
  Retard.
  The government gets to define crime so hey, they can bust you for whatever they like!
  Depositing money can be a crime in itself? Rubbish. No wonder you have libertarians in north america, they are practically encouraged by the rampant interferance in daily life from the government.
  
  --
  In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.
They also produced Dumb and Dumber To by elrous0 · 2016-07-21 08:55 · Score: 1

So I imagine the feds will want all the profits from that too.

--
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
"Asset recovery operation" by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 08:55 · Score: 0

What a lovely euphemism for state-sponsored theft.
1. Re:"Asset recovery operation" by whh3 · 2016-07-21 08:58 · Score: 1
  
  Notice what's even more funny: the name of the department doing the operation is the Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative.
  WOW!
  
  --
  remove nospam. to email!
That is so appropriate. by gurps_npc · 2016-07-21 09:02 · Score: 4, Funny

About the only thing more appropriate would be if the film was financed by the actual guy the movie was written about!

--
excitingthingstodo.blogspot.com
1. Re:That is so appropriate. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 09:43 · Score: 0
  
  Was it not originally started by him as a vanity project? as the term "wolf of wall street" was only ever used by him about himself until the movie came out
2. Re:That is so appropriate. by NotInHere · 2016-07-21 09:44 · Score: 1
  
  Maybe it is in fact? Maybe its not and this is just a PR stunt to boost the DVD sales.
3. Re:That is so appropriate. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 10:27 · Score: 0
  
  A little CGI magic and it shall be so http://phys.org/news/2016-07-imaging-software-hair-styles.html. Should I submit the kickstarter?
4. Re:That is so appropriate. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 13:34 · Score: 0
  
  But of course, to hide his real intent, he'd actually sign Will Ferell to play the lead. Genius at money laundering! And he gets to "laugh all the way to the bank"
Doing it right. by Hylandr · 2016-07-21 09:02 · Score: 3, Interesting

This is how you de-fund terrorism.
They got Al Capone on Tax evasion. :)

--
~ People that think they are better than anyone else for any reason are the cause of all the strife in the world.
1. Re:Doing it right. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 09:14 · Score: 0
  
  and the lesson is?
  Rule #1 about Wall Street,
  Don't talk about Wall Street.
  LEO wants Leo to empty his pockets, illegal proceeds!
2. Re:Doing it right. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 11:50 · Score: 0
  
  ... how you de-fund terrorism.
  It's like King Charles I and taxes or King George III and American taxes: Start attacking rich people and you'll find yourself in a world of pain. The rich can just join forces and hire more terrorists/freedom fighters.
  
  They got Al Capone ...
  
  The US DoJ isn't arresting anyone at the moment, meaning this is just legalized theft. This gambit's been pulled on Iran a number of times in contravention of international law. It didn't change anything, mostly because Iran, contrary to the USA's claims, isn't a big supporter of terrorism.
  Al Capone was in US jurisdiction: Governments around the world are going to think long and hard before handing one of their rich people over to US 'justice'.
3. Re:Doing it right. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 12:59 · Score: 0
  
  Iran has been under UN sanctions for decades. Seizure of assets or Iran's rulers wasn't just not in contravention of international law, it was an obligation under international law. DoJ is not arresting anyone because extrajudicial rendition of another country's Prime Minister isn't exactly a smart diplomatic move, but seizing assets which he publicly claims he has nothing to do with is a form of checkmate.
4. Re:Doing it right. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 14:02 · Score: 0
  
  They got Al Capone on Tax evasion. :)
  Please don't be a smilie-face-making retard.
5. Re:Doing it right. by dbIII · 2016-07-21 14:19 · Score: 1
  
  They got Al Capone on Tax evasion. :)
  The sad thing is that was only because he bribed the FBI but didn't think about bribing the IRS.
6. Re:Doing it right. by dbIII · 2016-07-21 14:21 · Score: 1
  
  Iran, contrary to the USA's claims, isn't a big supporter of terrorism
  They gave away all their old rockets that couldn't hit shit to people that wanted to launch them at Israel.
7. Re: Doing it right. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 15:24 · Score: 0
  
  Sad panda indeed. :(
8. Re:Doing it right. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 15:51 · Score: 0
  
  And the USA cares about some little country at the end of the Mediterranean getting threatened because?
9. Re:Doing it right. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 17:30 · Score: 0
  
  Please don't be a smilie-face-making retard.
  Please don't call people retard.
10. Re:Doing it right. by Hylandr · 2016-07-21 21:21 · Score: 1
  
  Oh the Humanity! :) :) :) :P
  
  --
  ~ People that think they are better than anyone else for any reason are the cause of all the strife in the world.
No such thing. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 09:16 · Score: 0

>This is shaping up to be the largest U.S. Justice Department asset recovery action in history.
The public debt so far exceeds this, this isn't even a monthly interest payment on US debt.
Meanwhile, DOJ gets paid salaries by taxpayers to go find the missing movie loot. There is a Jew problem here.
Irony by avandesande · 2016-07-21 09:18 · Score: 1

More Irony than Pennsylvania well water.....

That said, it was an entertaining movie and worth a watch.

--
love is just extroverted narcissism
Benihana by ickleberry · 2016-07-21 09:21 · Score: 2

Are you f**in kidding me? Benny f*cking hana?!
ultimate case of by Tablizer · 2016-07-21 09:24 · Score: 1

...field research

--
Table-ized A.I.
cash == guilty until proven innocent by Thud457 · 2016-07-21 09:27 · Score: 1

United States v. $124,700 in U.S. Currency

Suing inanimate objects is as silly as ascribing personhood to them. USA CRAY-CRAY. with guns.

--
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
1. Re:cash == guilty until proven innocent by tsotha · 2016-07-21 15:19 · Score: 1
  
  That's something completely different, though. You get these kinds of cases when you have cash on you and the government steals it because you might maybe be involved in some kind of crime which they can't identify.
The real question is... by Sir_Eptishous · 2016-07-21 09:34 · Score: 1

...who is going to play Scorsese in the film about how they made a film about a wall street crook, and that film was financed by wall street crooks.

--
We play the game with the bravery of being out of range
1. Re:The real question is... by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 10:06 · Score: 1
  
  Paul Giamatti!
Hillary Clinton's campaign was ... but no... by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 09:36 · Score: 0, Insightful

Financed with illegal money, but can't do anything about that can we? Don't vote for her.
oh irony by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 09:37 · Score: 0

Hollywood financing terrorism, bootlegging and theft.
Your tax dollars at work! by Grand+Facade · 2016-07-21 09:53 · Score: 1

Unbelievable, actually not really and even less surprising.
How much of my money will they spend to get my money back?

--
Rick B.
1. Re:Your tax dollars at work! by guruevi · 2016-07-21 10:29 · Score: 1
  
  They will spend close to 10B in lawyer fees to get your 1B back. If you have a receipt for the movie ticket, you'll get $1 refunded on your 2025 taxes.
  
  --
  Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com
2. Re:Your tax dollars at work! by Grand+Facade · 2016-07-21 11:20 · Score: 1
  
  Then they get a promotion as heroes for prosecuiting those who took advantage of the mismanagment of my money.
  Seems like they are prosecuiting the wrong party.
  The ones who mis managed my money are at fault.
  The movie never even made it on my radar.
  
  --
  Rick B.
Whoa, I said WHOA! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 09:54 · Score: 0

So our fed is trying to confiscate money because it was illegally obtained outside the US ( their jurisdiction ).
So how dows this work?
Someone, somewhere commits a crime and anything deriving from it is subject to seizure....
Looks like the money-grab it is.
So where is the line for the limits of the Feds jurisdiction?
Uh oh! Watch out! by fustakrakich · 2016-07-21 10:14 · Score: 1

Tony Blair is going after the makers of Wag the Dog...

--
“He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
Stanislavski would be proud! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 11:05 · Score: 0

Hasn't the DoJ heard of method acting?
Get off it already by s.petry · 2016-07-21 11:32 · Score: 1

Nobody can define it, or are you just too lazy to read? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
If you are attempting to claim that examples of Government overreach and abuse make it hard to understand, I think your logic maker is broken.

--
-The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.
That's Hollywood for ya by tsotha · 2016-07-21 11:35 · Score: 1

This doesn't surprise me at all. Hollywood is an industry full of people who excoriate "the rich" for not paying taxes when all the while movies don't turn a profit, as far as the IRS is concerned.
1. Re:That's Hollywood for ya by omnichad · 2016-07-22 02:26 · Score: 1
  
  movies don't turn a profit, as far as the IRS is concerned.
  The IRS still gets their cut, because the margins on the movie get paid out in services like special effects, distribution, production, etc. The people who lose on that are people who sign on to a movie for a cut of the movie's profits.
2. Re:That's Hollywood for ya by tsotha · 2016-07-25 07:51 · Score: 1
  
  Whenever you spend money somebody benefits, and ultimately taxes get paid. That's hardly a point in their favor.
Stolen or *cough* misplaced? by RogueWarrior65 · 2016-07-21 13:33 · Score: 0

Or was it money that was supposed to go to the Clinton Crime Family Foundation but mysteriously the bank bags were lighter than they should have been?
Better question - what profits?? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 14:16 · Score: 0

Am I the only one who remembers the Coming to America lawsuit where the author was told that despite the film being a massive success, there was no net profit...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buchwald_v._Paramount
I can well see Hollywood saying "Sorry, the movie was unprofitable. There's nothing to you."
Why here? by bestweasel · 2016-07-21 15:00 · Score: 1

All very entertaining (I read the BBC story) but I'm at a loss to see the Slashdot angle.
What is the crime of copying a movie by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 17:24 · Score: 0

compared to the crime of funding one?
Lawrence of Arabia foresaw all this by sydbarrett74 · 2016-07-21 18:05 · Score: 1

If the Saudi royal family are involved, count on it stinking to high heaven. T.E. Lawrence warned the rest of the world about the House of Saud's perfidy. But did anyone listen? We've been reaping the geopolitical effects for the better part of a century.

--
'He who has to break a thing to find out what it is, has left the path of wisdom.' -- Gandalf to Saruman
A sequel in the works? by Neo-Rio-101 · 2016-07-21 18:37 · Score: 1

So we can expect a sequel, I guess?
"The wolf of the wolf of Wall Street"
If that's also made with corrupt money, Hollywood can then keep the franchise going ad infinitum/nauseum whichever comes first!

--
READY.
PRINT ""+-0
1. Re:A sequel in the works? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-22 06:07 · Score: 0
  
  Nah, they'd have to stop after the fourth one or risk getting trapped in Limbo.
swift action compared to the real criminals by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 20:30 · Score: 0

they have been largely unable to hold any of the assholes on Wall Street accountable for their shit after so many years. A few token people but everyone else are back doing the same shit all over again.
Hamas manufactures rockets now by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-21 22:50 · Score: 0

Hamas manufactures rockets now.... You know, maybe Hamas could get into the sounding rocket market, with its low wages, and manufacturing experience.
Inception... by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-22 00:14 · Score: 0

Inception anyone?
Yeah quite ironic... by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-22 00:21 · Score: 0

"This is shaping up to be the largest U.S. Justice Department asset recovery action in history."...
It takes a movie about massive financial fraud in the banking industry to get the JD off their holes, and not a peek from them about the actual fraud in the banking industry - fraud which has gone unparalleled in modern history...
Saudi donation by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-22 02:53 · Score: 0

Seize the money and keep it safe for upcoming lawsuits by the families of the 9/11 victims. Do it now.
Casino Wolf of Wall Street Mashup by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-22 03:57 · Score: 0

"Wait a minute. You mean to tell me that the money we're robbing is bein' robbed? That somebody's robbing from us? We go through all this fuckin' trouble, and somebody's robbin' us?"
Wait a minute. You mean to tell me that a movie about laundering money was financed with laundered money?
Stargate by Anonymous Coward · 2016-07-22 08:35 · Score: 0

And they told me I was NUTS when I said the Stargate was real!
The aliens Tony, the goddamn aliens!
Does this mean I get my money back? by tensigh · 2016-07-23 19:19 · Score: 1

Since this was a Scorsese film, I waited in line to see it. After about 20 minutes into it I was shocked at how awful it was. If the money was financed illegally, can I file a class action law suit for the movie sucking so badly?