Russian Criminal Activity

Law enforcement information indicates a steady increase in Russian organized criminal activity in the U.S. since the early 1990s. Senior law enforcement officials requested assistance in understanding the scope of financial activity that may be linked to Russian Organized Crime groups in the U.S. An analysis of Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) data indicates that SARs filed by U.S. financial institutions for suspected structuring/money laundering activity involving Russian transactors, owners or citizenship averages approximately $200 million per year. A correlation of SARs, Currency Transaction Reports (CTRs) and Currency and Monetary Instrument Reports (CMIRs) for Russian transactions indicates some level of financial activity in 45 states, with heavier concentrations in the metropolitan areas of New York, Boston, Washington D.C., Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle. There are also indications of unusual patterns of suspicious financial activity in Texas (i.e., San Antonio, Houston, Dallas/ Ft. Worth, El Paso, and along the U.S.-Mexico border).

Excerpted from SAR Activity Review October 2000 Issue , page 12