Lurking in the Fog

Join us on our seventeenth episode with Ícaro Avelar, a crypto lawyer who developed his career in the corporate environment, working as an in-house legal counsel for large, multinational Japanese and Austrian companies. He has significant experience in providing legal advice for Web3 projects, being responsible for regulatory enforcement in the companies he advises. Ícaro has made sure to stay on top of all the latest trends in Web3, crypto, and blockchain. He is especially knowledgeable about the role of cryptocurrencies in facilitating illicit activities on the dark web, citing the Silk Road as a cautionary tale of how well-intentioned tech founders can become complicit in crimes such as drug trafficking and arms smuggling should they choose to ignore the illicit activities occurring on their platforms. Most notably, he stresses the importance of being well-versed in the regulatory differences between the U.S. and the EU regarding Web3, crypto, and blockchain.

Join us on our fifteenth episode with Daren Firestone, former federal prosecutor and white house attorney. During his time in the United States Department of Justice Tax Division, Daren led scores of white collar criminal tax prosecutions and investigations involving healthcare fraud, government procurement fraud, bankruptcy, and identity theft. He handled criminal cases involving off-shore accounts, tax shelters, Medicare coding, employment taxes, corporate and partnership taxes, and fraudulent tax preparation. After graduating magna cum laude from Harvard College, Daren became an actor, appearing in Off-Broadway shows, national commercials, and the feature film “Scenes from a Mall,” in which he played Woody Allen and Bette Midler’s son. He then went on to graduate magna cum laude from Northwestern Law School. Daren is the preeminent expert in keeping the identity of crypto whistleblowers confidential, even managing to hide them from the U.S. government during one of his cases.

Join us on our thirteenth episode with Dr. Louise I. Shelley, founder and director of the Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center (TraCCC) at George Mason University. She is one of the foremost experts in money laundering, illicit trade, human trafficking, wildlife trafficking, and other forms of transnational organized crime. Her academic career started off with extensive study on Russian Literature at Cornell University, followed by a Master's in Criminology and a PhD in Sociology from the University of Pennsylvania. This research helped her conduct numerous money laundering investigations in Russia, Ukraine, and Georgia. As an Omer L. and Nancy Hirst Endowed Chair and a University Professor at George Mason University, Dr. Shelley has also authored books such as "Dark Commerce: How a New Illicit Economy is Threatening our Future" and "Dirty Entanglements: Corruption, Crime and Terrorism". As Dr. Shelley would say...to catch criminals, see beyond your stereotypes.

Join us on our eleventh episode with Glenn Karabeika, a retired special agent with over 30 years of experience in the U.S. Customs Service Office of Investigations and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, working in the Homeland Security Investigations Counterproliferation Investigations Unit. In addition, Glenn also has over 30 years of experience as an electronic surveillance technical agent. Using his vast experience, Glenn has established his own import/export consulting and private investigations service, dealing with legal issues related to national security, narcotics, counterfeiting, arms control, illegal immigration, intellectual property rights, child sexual abuse material, and financial crime. Glenn is particularly adept at obtaining evidence from witness interview subjects who deliberately try to obfuscate the full story. His plethora of experiences have allowed him to help defense attorneys provide sound, trustworthy client defenses.

Join us on our ninth episode with Sylvia Tidey, a cultural anthropologist and Associate Professor at the University of Virginia in the Anthropology Department and Global Studies Program. In her first research project, Tidey examined the continuation of civil service corruption in Indonesia in the aftermath of stringent anti–­corruption measures meant to promote “good governance.” In her book titled "Ethics or the Right Thing: Corruption and Care in the Age of Good Governance," Tidey explores novel forms of corruption within Indonesia's civil service. On this episode we will discuss Tidey's work studying corruption in Indonesia, the failure of anti-corruption efforts, and good governance.

Join us on our seventh episode with Carlos De la Espriella, a distinguished attorney, human rights advocate, and legal scholar from Colombia. Carlos earned his J.D. with a concentration in criminal law from Universidad de Los Andes, and later pursued further specialization. He received a Masters of Law in procedural law from Universidad Externado de Colombia and Queen Mary University of London. Carlos co-founded "De la Espriella Legal", a boutique law firm focused on conflict resolution in criminal and civil matters, and has also spent time as a Magistrate in Colombia's Supreme Court. On this episode we will discuss Espriella's journey, and his experiences with compliance and law in Colombia.

Join us on our fifth episode with Bernardo Weaver, who is an international lawyer by trade and has more than 20 years of experience representing large multinational corporations, business executives and high-ranking government officials in different continents. On this episode we will explore how lawyers assist with financial crime investigations, and discuss cases ranging from fraud on the Internet to money laundering scams.

Join us on our third episode with Michael Fasanello, a crypto compliance officer and thought leader specializing in anti-money laundering, counter-terrorist financing, economic sanctions, and illicit finance with a current focus on digital assets and the Blockchain technology place. On this episode we will discuss how digital assets are used to facilitate illegal financial transactions for threat actors. Learn more about rug pulls, due diligence, and cybercrime in the crypto arena.