Professional Experience

Chase & Associates, Inc.
President                           Tampa, Florida                                  1998-Present

Manages all services provided by the company, including litigation support, forensic accounting, fraud detection & deterrence, due diligence review, expert witness services and training.  Areas of expertise include all issues relative to investigations concerning financial issues, fraud, money laundering, Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and international drug trafficking.  Clients include law firms, public & private corporations, financial institutions, government agencies, educational institutions, and professional business associations

St. Petersburg College
Adjunct Professor             St. Petersburg, Florida                        1998-Present

Lecture and instruct for the Multijurisdictional Counterdrug Task Force Training Center, a division of the School of Criminal Justice. Design and present basic and advanced curriculum, including Investigating International Drug & Money Laundering Organizations, Investigating Public Corruption, and Preparing & Assisting in Courtroom Procedures.

U. S. Drug Enforcement Administration
Special Agent                   Tampa, Florida                                     1991-1998

U. S. Customs Service, Office of Enforcement
Senior Special Agent        Tampa, Florida                                     1983-1991

Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division
Special Agent                   New York, NY and Tampa, FL           1972-1983

At each of these government agencies, developed, planned, conducted, and coordinated numerous long-term multi-agency investigations of international drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. Many of these investigations targeted Colombian drug cartel leaders and financial institutions servicing global criminal organizations. Functioned in various positions, including project manager, case agent, and long term undercover agent. Assignments required substantial undercover activity throughout North America, South America, Central America, Europe and the Caribbean. Testified extensively as a case agent, undercover agent and an expert in both money laundering and international drug trafficking. During a 27-year career, assignments involved extensive tracing of assets and international money flows. At the IRS Criminal Investigation Division, assignments required strict adherence to accounting principles and often involved the use of both direct and indirect methods of proof (i.e. bank deposits method and net worth method of proof).

Case Experience

The subsequent case overviews provide a brief outline of some of the work personally conducted over the past twenty years.

U.S. vs. Luis Latorre et. al.
(1991-1995)

  • Designed long-term undercover operation targeting international money launderers, drug traffickers and corrupt law enforcement officer servicing the Cali drug cartel.
  • Functioned for two years in a full-time undercover capacity as a corrupt businessman
    operating financial service companies based in the U.S., Panama and Colombia.
  • Maintained routine undercover contact with corrupt businessmen and internationally known criminals involved in the laundering of drug proceeds for Colombian drug kingpins, as well as officials of globally prominent financial institutions involved in the laundering of drug proceeds.
  • Recorded hundreds of meetings with violators to document offenses.
  • Documented and traced the laundering of tens of millions of dollars of drug proceeds to substantiate money laundering and drug trafficking offenses by internationally known violators.
  • Investigation resulted in the indictment/conviction of numerous high level traffickers, money launderers, a corrupt City of Tampa police detective, as well as the forfeiture of approximately $5 million in drug proceeds.

U.S. vs. Bank of Credit & Commerce International et. al. (BCCI)
(1986 -1991)

  • Designed and implemented the undercover operation that led to the convictions of BCCI and many of its high ranking officers.
  • Functioned as the lead undercover agent, as well as the team leader of roughly twelve additional undercover agents located throughout the U.S.
  • Assumed a full-time undercover role for two years as a financial consultant residing in Florida and New York.
  • Negotiated agreements (in an undercover capacity) with international drug traffickers to launder drug proceeds. In addition, negotiated on behalf of traffickers with representatives of corrupt international financial institutions relative to money laundering services.
  • Managed domestic and foreign undercover companies used to facilitate the investigation. · Recorded approximately 1200 conversations with traffickers and money launderers, and collected thousands of documents used to trace illicit funds to their beneficial owners.
  • Testified in numerous trials in Florida, New York and London. In addition, testified before the U.S. Senate relative to the pervasive criminal conduct of BCCI including global political corruption (lengthy testimony in all trials, including a twelve consecutive week period of testimony in one Tampa criminal trial).
  • Investigation resulted in the indictment of 84 individuals worldwide, the seizure of more than 3,000 lbs. of cocaine, and the collection of more than $525 million in forfeitures and fines.
  • BCCI was the 7th largest independently owned bank in the world with brances in 72 countries. · BCCI's prosecution was the first jury conviction of an international bank for violations of the Money Laundering Control Act.

U.S. vs. George Meros et. al.
(1983 - 1986)

  • Developed investigation of prominent professionals (attorney and stockbroker) who were financing the smuggling of large drug shipments and laundering drug proceeds for traffickers.
  • Initiated and managed the development of critical informants who were traffickers; conspiring with attorney Meros and other professionals.
  • Supervised and conducted consensual recordings of conversations conducted by informants with corrupt professionals.
  • Prepared and executed numerous search warrants, including those which enabled searches of an entire law firm for records of drug trafficking and money laundering.
  • Established and supervised a taskforce of twelve agents from eight different agencies, which gathered evidence relative to offenses committed by Meros and his associates. &
  • Prepared and initiated foreign treaty requests to obtain critical evidence in Switzerland, Belgium, France, Sweden, Grand Cayman, and the Netherlands Antilles.
  • Investigation resulted in the conviction of 26 individuals, including attorney Meros who was sentenced to a 40-year prison term.
  • Over $10 million worth of assets were seized and forfeited via this investigation, including an 84-unit condominium timeshare project, aircraft, yachts, automobiles and cash.

U.S. vs. Bruce Perlowin et. al.
(1981 - 1984)

  • Functioned in an undercover capacity for six months as a member of a cocaine smuggling/distribution group based in Florida and Illinois. Responsible for maintaining the books and records of the cocaine smuggling ring.
  • Investigation resulted in the indictment of more than 100 individuals, including a Las Vegas casino owner, a casino manager, attorneys, and an accountant charged with money laundering offenses. Indictments were also returned against the leader of a Thai marijuana and Colombian marijuana smuggling ring.
  • Over $10 million in assets were seized and forfeited via this case, including shares of a nationwide hotel chain, a commercial pier, vessels, homes, vehicles, aircraft and cash.

U.S. vs. Palm State Bank et. al.
(1979- 1982)

Developed and investigated the Palm State Bank prosecution, which resulted in the first jury conviction of a financial institution for failure to file Currency Transaction Reports (CTRs). Investigation resulted in convictions of the bank, the CEO of the bank and the President of the bank, for failure to file CTRs.

Education and Training

BS - Wagner College, Staten Island, New York (1972)
  • Major - Business Administration & Finance
  • Minor - Accounting
  • DEA Basic Agent Training
    U.S. Customs Undercover Training
    U.S. Customs Special Agent Basic Training
    IRS Instructor Training
    IRS Undercover Training
    IRS Basic IncomeTax Training
    IRS Special Agent Basic Training
    Treasury Law Enforcement Officer Training

    Awards and Commendations

    Received numerous Exceptional Performance Awards from the IRS, U.S. Customs, and DEA. In addition, received special awards or commendations from the following:

    • U.S. Attorney, Middle District of Florida - 1984
    • U.S. Dept. of Justice, Narcotics & Dangerous Drug Section - 1986
    • U.S. Customs Service Commissioner's Award - 1986
    • 1987 Financial Investigator of the Year - National Association of Federal Investigators
    • U.S. Customs Service Commissioner Von Raab - 1989
    • U.S. Attorney, Southern District of New York - 1989
    • 1990 Federal Criminal Investigator of the Year - National Association of Federal Investigators
    • U.S. Customs Service Commissioner Hallett - 1990 · U.S. Attorney, Middle District of Florida - 1995
    • U.S. Attorney, Middle District of Florida, Asset Forfeiture Division - 1996
    • General Counsel for the Attorney General of Canada - 1996

     

    Employee Performance Ratings

    Continuously received "Excellent" or "Outstanding" evaluation ratings from IRS, USCS, and DEA.

    Conference / Training Presentations

    Lectures have concerned issues relative to drug money laundering, drug trafficking, long term undercover, fraud, and corruption. Lectures/presentations have been given at:

    • Federal Law Enforcement Training Center - Glynco, Georgia
    • DEA Acadamy - Quantico, Virginia
    • U.S. Senate - Subcommittee on Terrorism, Narcotics, and International Operations · U.S. House of Representatives - Subcommittee on Domestic & International Monetary Policy
    • USCS Undercover Operative School - Leesburg, Virginia
    • Her Majesty's Customs & Excise (HMCE) - London, England
    • National Drug Intelligence Unit, New Scotland Yard - London, England · Isle of Jersey Police and HMCE - Isle of Jersey, United Kingdom
    • Isle of Guernsey Police and HMCE - Isle of Guernsey, United Kingdom
    • Hendon Training Center, Metropolitan Police Dept., London England
    • American-Dutch Money Laundering & Organized Crime Seminar - Orlando, Florida
    • DOJ International Money Laundering Seminar - San Francisco, California
    • Florida Department of Law Enforcement's Center for Advanced Law Enforcement Studies - Tampa, Florida
    • International Association of Law Enforcement Intelligence Analysts - Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
    • Regional Organized Crime Information Center's Training and Information Exchange Conference - Louisville, Kentucky
    • Multijurisdictional Counterdrug Task Force Training Center - St. Petersburg, Florida
    • U.S. Attorney's Seminar - Tampa, Florida
    • Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Advanced Proceeds of Crimes Seminar - Montreal, Canada
    • Pinellas County Trial Lawyers Association - Clearwater, Florida
    • National Assocation of Credit Managers (NACM)
    • Finance, Credit & International Business Association (FCIB)

    Publications

    October 2000: Business Credit (Vol. 102, No. 9, pp.32-35). Title: A Tidal Wave of Risk on the
                            Horizon (Part 1) - Why big and small businesses face new risks simply by getting paid.
    November 2000: Business Credit (Vol. 102, No. 10, pp. 64-69). Title: A Tidal Wave of Risk on the
                            Horizon (Part 2) - Why Big and small businesses face new risks simply by getting paid.


    Expert Certification

    1985 Qualified as an expert in money laundering by U.S. Federal District Court Judge, Tampa, Florida, during the criminal trial of U.S. vs. George N. Meros et. al.
    1996 Qualified by Superior Court Judge, Montreal, Canada as an expert in International Money Laundering during the criminal trial of Her Majesty the Queen vs. Tonino Callochia and Giovanni D'Angelo.
    1997 Qualified by Superior Court Judge, Montreal, Canada, as an expert in International Drug Smuggling and International Money Laundering during the Criminal trial of Her Majesty the Queen vs. Sabatino Nicolucci

    Professional Organizations

    - Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (Tampa Chapter President, 1984 - 1998)
    - Association of Former Special Agents of the Internal Revenue Service
    - Association of Former Federal Narcotics Agents
    - Association of Former Customs Special Agents
    - Association of Certified Fraud Examiners

     
     

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