How does money laundering work? - Delena D. Spann

譯者: Szu-Wen Kung 審譯者: Ann Chen

As one of the most notorious gangsters in history,

身為史上最臭名昭彰的 黑道頭子之一

Al Capone presided over a vast and profitable empire of organized crime.

艾爾．卡彭領導一個龐大 謀取暴利的組織型犯罪集團

When he was finally put on trial,

在他終於繩之以法接受審判時

the most he could be convicted of was tax evasion.

他頂多只會被定罪為「逃稅」

The nearly $100 million a year,

每年逃漏稅的金額將近一億美元

that's 1.4 billion in today's currency,

等同於十四億美元現值

that Capone had earned from illegal gambling,

卡彭的收入來自非法賭博

bootlegging,

販賣私酒

brothels,

妓院

and extortion,

以及勒索

would have served as evidence of his crimes.

這些不法收益成為 卡彭犯罪的呈堂證供

But the money was nowhere to be found.

但錢卻消失得無影無蹤

Capone and his associates had hidden it through investments in various businesses

卡彭與其黨羽 透過投資各種生意將錢隱匿

whose ultimate ownership couldn't be proven,

但無法找出真正的生意持有人

like cash-only laundromats.

例如只收現金的自助洗衣店

In fact, those laundromats are part of the reason for the name of this activity,

那種洗衣店也是 「洗錢」名稱由來的部份原因

money laundering.

Money laundering came to be the term for any process

洗錢活動是以各種手法

that cleans illegally obtained funds of their dirty criminal origins,

將不法犯罪黑錢洗白

allowing them to be used within the legal economy.

以便之後在市面上合法流通

But Capone wasn't the first to launder money.

卡彭並非洗錢始祖

In fact, this practice is about as old as money itself.

事實上從最初 有錢的出現就有洗錢活動

Merchants hid their riches from tax collecters,

商人藏富避稅

and pirates sought to sell their bounty without drawing attention

海盜設法將掠奪的財寶脫手

to how they got it.

避免引人注意

With the recent arrival of virtual currencies,

隨著最新虛擬貨幣的出現

offshore banking,

境外銀行

the darknet,

地下網路

and global markets,

與全球市場

schemes have become much more complex.

手法也日趨複雜

Although modern money laundering methods vary greatly,

儘管現在的洗錢手法迥異

most share three basic steps:

大致上具備三個步驟

placement,

處置

layering,

多層化

and integration.

整合

Placement is where illegally obtained money is converted into assets

處置是將非法取得的金錢 轉換成資產形式

that seem legitimate.

讓它看來一切合法

That's often done by depositing funds into a bank account

通常是將資金存入銀行帳戶

registered to an anonymous corporation or a professional middleman.

帳戶則註冊在 匿名公司或專業掮客的名下

This step is where criminals are often most vulnerable to detection

這是罪犯最容易受到調查的階段

since they introduce massive wealth into the financial system

因為他們看似無中生有

seemingly out of nowhere.

將大筆資金注入金融體系

The second step, layering, involves using multiple transactions

步驟二是多層化，透過多重交易

to further distance the funds from their origin.

洗掉資金來源

This can take the form of transfers between multiple accounts,

包括在多個帳戶之間的交叉轉帳

or the purchase of tradable property,

或是購買有形的資產

like expensive cars,

像是價值不斐的名車

artwork,

藝術品

and real estate.

還有房地產

Casinos, where large sums of money change hands every second,

隨時有大量金錢轉手的賭場

are also popular venues for layering.

也常是多層化發生的場合

A money launderer may have their gambling balance made available

洗錢犯可將其在連鎖賭場的賭金獲利

at a casino chain's locations in other countries,

移轉至位於其他國家的賭場支部

or work with employees to rig games.

或聯合內部員工操縱賭局

The last step, integration, allows clean money to re-enter the mainstream economy

步驟三整合則讓洗白的錢 重新流進主流經濟

and to benefit the original criminal.

並讓原犯罪者獲利

They might invest it into a legal business

例如投資合法生意

claiming payment by producing fake invoices,

製造假發票索取款項

or even start a bogus charity,

甚至成立一個偽慈善機構

placing themselves on the board of directors

自己成為董事會的一員

with an exorbitant salary.

賺取可觀收入

Money laundering itself

在美國，洗錢本身 從 1986 年起才被視為聯邦罪

wasn't officially recognized as a federal crime in the United States until 1986.

Before that point, the government needed to prosecute a related crime,

在此之前政府只能用 相關罪名進行起訴

like tax evasion.

像是逃漏稅

From 1986 on, they could confiscate wealth simply by demonstrating

1986 年以後 美國政府只要能證明隱匿事實，

that concealment had occurred,

即可沒收財產

which had a positive effect on prosecuting major criminal operations,

這對起訴重大犯罪有著正面的影響

like drug traffickers.

像是毒品走私販

However, a legal shift has raised concerns

但是這項變革也引起顧慮

involving privacy and government surveillance.

包括隱私權益與政府監控

Today, the United Nations,

現今聯合國

national governments,

各國政府

and various nonprofits

以及各類非營利機構

fight against money laundering,

致力打擊洗錢

yet the practice continues to play a major role in global crime.

不過洗錢活動仍是全球主要犯罪

And the most high-profile instances of money laundering

一些極受矚目的洗錢行為

have involved not just private individuals,

不僅牽涉個人

but major financial institutions and government officials.

還含括金融機構與政府官員

No one knows for sure the total amount of money

沒人確切掌握

that's laundered on a yearly basis,

每年洗錢的總金額

but some organizations estimate it to be in the hundreds of billions of dollars.

但有些機構預計總數達千億美元