Answer the following questions based upon the reading material in Chapter 14, Theft-Related Offenses.
1 page double spaced in total – Do not use nay form of AI or it will result ina zero grade!
First, read the following:
Chapter 14 Theft and Fraud-Related Offenses
Introduction
In March 2019, a massive higher education fraud scheme was uncovered by federal investigators. Suspects, largely involving parents of children seeking to attend elite colleges and universities, faked disabilities and Photoshopped faces onto different students’ bodies. They paid millions of dollars in bribes. The scam required bribing dozens of test administrators and relied on colleges’ different standards for student athletes. William Rick Singer (pictured in the above photo), the person at the center of the scam, described it more succinctly: “What we do is help the wealthiest families in the U.S. get their kids into school.
According to prosecutors, the Edge College and Career Network would help set up bribes of administrators of exams like the SAT or ACT. In some cases, someone else took the test for the student. In other cases, the students were given answers during the test. Their test might also be revised after the fact
According to a federal indictment, this is how “Desperate Housewives” actress Felicity Huffman used Singer’s company, paying a testing official to help her daughter on her SAT test or change her test answers. To get to this point often required more deception. These exams generally take place in large group sessions, though students with disabilities are allowed extra time. They also can take the test alone. That meant parents would have to lie about their children’s having a learning disability.
The students also had to take tests at sites where the network had control. Parents were told to “fabricate a reason—such as a bar mitzvah or a wedding,” that would explain why they needed to take the test elsewhere. Interestingly, for the most part, the students admitted to colleges were not part of the scam.
The students also had to take tests at sites where the network had control. Parents were told to “fabricate a reason—such as a bar mitzvah or a wedding,” that would explain why they needed to take the test elsewhere. Interestingly, for the most part, the students admitted to colleges were not part of the scam.
The students also had to take tests at sites where the network had control. Parents were told to “fabricate a reason—such as a bar mitzvah or a wedding,” that would explain why they needed to take the test elsewhere. Interestingly, for the most part, the students admitted to colleges were not part of the scam.
The students also had to take tests at sites where the network had control. Parents were told to “fabricate a reason—such as a bar mitzvah or a wedding,” that would explain why they needed to take the test elsewhere. Interestingly, for the most part, the students admitted to colleges were not part of the scam.
A total of 50 people have been charged in the investigations, including 34 parents of college applicants and 11 named collegiate coaches or athletic administrators from eight universities.
William Rick Singer himself was a purported college counselor, and author of self-help books for college admission. Singer organized and sold fraudulent college admission services and pleaded guilty in cooperation with prosecutions.
Fraud is a form of theft. The 2019 higher education fraud scheme demonstrates that fraud can be pervasive and may affect hundreds of people who would not normally considered criminals. In this chapter we will look at various ways people steal and manipulate their way into crimes whereby financial gain is the ultimate motive. To begin, we will examine the pervasive crime of burglary.
Question: After reading the “Intro” case about the massive higher education fraud scheme that was uncovered in 2019 in which about 50 people were charged, answer the two questions at the end about whether this type of fraudulent scheme can be considered a “victimless” type of crime:
When crimes such as those in the higher education fraud case occur, can the crime be considered a so-called “victimless crime”? If not, who is the victim?
Question: If you were assigned to investigate a burglary case, what type of evidence would you look for to determine if a burglary took place, what steps would you take to help identify who the burglar may be and what type of investigative techniques would you employ? Why are burglary cases such a challenge to solve?
Question: Assume you are the community resource officer in your police department. You are assigned to go to a community meeting to help homeowners understand how to better protect their homes from a burglary. What suggestions would you make at this meeting?
Question: Please read “The Case: Identity Theft and Its Implications” that is written below, and answer the question after the reading. While the text uses a 2011 example, identity theft has come a long way since then. Use some outside research and comment on identity theft and ways to investigate this type of crime and ways to protect oneself from becoming a victim of this type of crime today.
The Case – Identity Theft and Its Implications
Identity theft is a complex crime with the capability to quickly impact many potential victims. In 2011, Daniel Spitler admitted during a federal plea in court to creating the computer code that enabled him to pull the personal information of over 100,000 users of iPads. He was able to do so allegedly based on a vulnerability that servers at AT&T used to move iPad data via their network. The charges against him are identity theft as well as conspiracy with a person named Andrew Auernheimer.
Spitler is responsible for writing the “iPad 3G Account Slurper” script, in order to pull as much data from iPads as possible. His victims ranged from celebrities to a U.S. Air Force major contractor to high-level financial managers to top-level staff at the White House. Spitler might receive a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine, but this case truly illustrates the need for all relevant parties, such as law enforcement, politicians, the public, and the private sector, to take data security seriously.
Theft is one of the most commonly occurring crimes:
Question: Pretend you are the lead investigator in this case. Based on the section in the chapter dealing with the investigative response to identity theft, what are some realities you would have had to consider?
Source: Goodin, D. (2011, June 23). Man admits writing script that slurped celebrity iPad data. The Register. Retrieved from http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/06/23/ipad_data_hacker_guilty/.
———————————————————————————–
Extra Credit Essay Assignment (unrelated to the previous questions and chapter above): 3 pages double spaced – Do not use nay form of AI or it will result ina zero grade!
Write a essay on Terrorism and National Security Crimes and include the following:
1 – Summarize the chapter in the text by analyzing and discussing the different investigative techniques and challenges that are involved.
2 – Use one outside source to enhance the information in the chapter. Include the source within the essay and provide the proper source citation at the end of your essay. The chapter notes rae provided below:
Terrorism and National Security Crimes
IntroductionOn April 27, 2019, at approximately 11:23 A.M., 19-year-old John Earnest entered the Chabad of Poway synagogue on the last day of the Jewish holiday of Passover. Approximately 100 people were inside the synagogue. Earnest was armed with a Smith & Wesson Model M&P 15 Sport II semiautomatic rifle and was wearing a tactical vest which contained five magazines of ten rounds each.In the foyer, Earnest shot and killed 60-year-old Lori Gilbert-Kaye, and then wounded Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, the founding rabbi of the congregation. Witnesses reported that Gilbert-Kaye had tried to shield the rabbi from Earnest. Earnest then turned to a side room occupied by several people, including a number of children. He fired into the room, wounding one man with a bullet to the leg. The man’s 8-year-old niece was also injured by bullet fragments that struck her face and leg. While all of the injured recovered, Goldstein lost his right index finger despite four hours of surgery.Earnest fired a total of eight to ten rounds before his rifle malfunctioned. Two members of the congregation ran toward him at which time he fled the synagogue, entering a Honda sedan. An off-duty U.S. Border Patrol officer, who was a member of the synagogue, opened fire as Earnest escaped and hit his car multiple times, but Earnest escaped uninjured.
After fleeing the scene, Earnest phoned 911 and reported the event. He was soon apprehended by a San Diego police officer responding to the incident approximately 2 miles from the synagogue. After being stopped, Earnest jumped out of his car with his hands up and was taken into custody without incident. The rifle, a tactical helmet, and five loaded magazines with 50 rounds were recovered from Earnest’s car; Earnest was wearing a tactical vest when he was arrested. Surveillance cameras at the synagogue captured video of the shooting which occurred exactly six months after another shooting in a Pittsburg synagogue.
Most acts of terrorism have three basic participants: the perpetrator, the victim, and the audience affected (or the target). Although the perpetrator is often difficult to identify, the victim of the attack is usually the most controversial. The issue of terrorism is clouded because it is commonly viewed as a form of low-intensity, unconventional aggression on the lower end of the warfare spectrum. In this unrealistic view, terrorism is an act of war rather than a criminal activity, which gives it a purpose and some sense of dignity. However, most people recognize that embassy bombings, political hostage taking, and aircraft hijackings are criminal terrorist acts. Accordingly, they understand that such acts are designed to shock and stun and are outside warfare conventions.With this in mind, the subject of terrorism is included in this text because terrorism, while often occurring on foreign soil, is also committed on U.S. soil and is considered a serious criminal offense. As such, it is incumbent upon the criminal investigator to have a basic understanding of what terrorism is and how it may impact communities in the United States.
Terrorism Defined 16.1 Define terrorism.
Whether domestic or international, terrorism is pervasive throughout the world and remains one of the most complex and difficult issues facing law enforcement in the twenty-first century. There is no single, universally accepted definition of the word terrorism. It is defined in a number of ways by a number of organizations. Simply stated, terrorism is policy intended to intimidate or cause terror.317 The federal Foreign Relations Authorization Act defines terrorism in terms of four primary elements. The act says that terrorism is
Premeditated,
Politically motivated,
Violent, and
Committed against noncombatant targets
The Federal Code of Regulations defines terrorism as “the unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of social or political objectives” (28 CFR, Section 0.85). In comparison, the FBI offers a more compartmentalized definition addressing both domestic and international terrorism:
Domestic terrorism: the unlawful use, or threatened use of force by a group or individual, based and operating entirely within the United States without foreign direction, committed against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of social or political objectives.
International terrorism: violent acts or acts that are a danger to human life that are a violation of the criminal law of the United States or any state or that would be a criminal violation if committed within the jurisdiction of the United States or any state. These acts appear to be intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population, influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion, or affect the conduct of government by assassination or kidnapping. International terrorist acts occur outside the United States or transcend national boundaries in terms of the means by which they are to be accomplished, the persons they appear intended to coerce or intimidate or the locale in which the perpetrators operate or seek asylum.
Some definitions also include acts of unlawful violence or unconventional warfare, but at present there is no internationally agreed upon definition of terrorism.320 A person who practices terrorism is generally referred to as a terrorist. Acts of terrorism are criminal acts, according to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1373 and the domestic jurisprudence of almost all nations.Regardless of the origin of its definition, the word terrorism is politically and emotionally charged,321 and this greatly compounds the difficulty of providing a precise definition. A 1988 study by the U.S. Army found that more than 100 definitions of the word terrorism have been used.322 The concept of terrorism is itself controversial because it is often used by states to delegitimize political or foreign opponents and potentially legitimize the state’s own use of terror against them.
The history of terrorist organizations suggests that they do not practice terrorism only for its political effectiveness; individual terrorists are also motivated by a desire for social solidarity with other members.323Terrorism has been practiced by a broad array of political organizations to further their objectives. It has been practiced by right- and left-wing political parties, nationalistic groups, religious groups, revolutionaries, and ruling governments.324Acts of terrorism can be carried out by individuals, groups, or states. According to some definitions, clandestine or semiclandestine state actors may also carry out terrorist acts outside the framework of a state of war. However, the most common image of terrorism is that it is carried out by small and secretive cells that are highly motivated to serve a particular cause, and many of the most deadly operations in recent times, such as the September 11 attacks, the London underground bombing, and the 2002 Bali bombing, were planned and carried out by cliques composed of close friends, family members, and other strong social networks.
These groups benefited from the free flow of information and efficient telecommunications and succeeded where others had failed.325 Over the years, many people have attempted to come up with a terrorist profile to attempt to explain these individuals’ actions through their psychology and social circumstances. Others, such as Roderick Hindery, have sought to discern profiles in the propaganda tactics used by terrorists. Some security organizations designate these groups as violent nonstate actors.326The literature of terrorism has been closely associated with the word guerilla, which can be defined as “little war.”327 Georges-Abeyie distinguishes the two by suggesting that terrorist groups have a more urban focus, usually attack innocent civilians and property, and operate in small groups or bands of three to five persons.328
In a general sense, most people residing in the United States tend not to be overly concerned about terrorist acts occurring in their neighborhoods or cities. However, statistics clearly show that while Islamic terrorism may not be prevalent in the United States, other forms of terrorist activity are. These typically take the forms of active shooters in schools and the workplace and other single-issue (so-called “lone wolf”) terrorist events such as those committed by persons with extremist right-wing ideologies. The statistics help us gain a better understanding of the problem of terrorism in the United States.For example, according to a 2017 report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, “of the 85 violent extremist incidents that resulted in death since September 12, 2001, far-right wing violent extremist groups were responsible for 62 of them (73 percent) while radical Islamist violent extremists were responsible for a considerably small number, 23 (27 percent).329 The total number of fatalities is about the same for far-right wing violent extremists and radical Islamist violent extremists over the approximately 15-year period (106 and 94, respectively).330 However, 52 percent of the deaths attributable to radical Islamist violent extremists occurred in a single event—an attack on the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, in 2016.331Research shows that in 2018, most ideologically motivated murders were linked to right-wing extremism.332 For example, in 2017, the Global terrorism Index concluded the following about terrorist incidents in the United States between 2008 and 2016:
According to a report based on Justice Department figures released by the U.S. government in January 2018, about three out of four people convicted on charges of international terrorism between September 11, 2001 and December 31, 2016 were foreign-born.334 According to the Justice Department, 549 were convicted for international terrorism, including 254 who were citizens of another country, 148 were naturalized citizens, and 148 were natural-born citizens. 335The National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism maintains Profiles of Individual Radicalization in the United States, a database containing over 1,800 profiles of individuals radicalized by ideologies since 1948. The database shows that from 1948 through 2016, 40.0 percent of identified extremists were far-right, 24.5 percent were Islamist, and 17.4 percent were far-left, while 18.2 percent were “single issue” individuals.336
Identifying Terrorists AudioListen to the AudioListen to the AudioRecent research and investigations into terrorist operations have shown that terrorists look, dress, and behave like “normal” people until they execute their assigned mission. Therefore, terrorist profiling based on personality or physical or sociological traits does not appear to be particularly useful. The physical and behavioral description of a terrorist could describe almost any average person.337 The political and social circumstances that lead to the creation of terrorist groups vary widely around the world. Persons who carry out such acts vary in age, race, and cultural background. In 1986, the President’s Task Force on Combating Terrorism (PTFCT) reported that an estimated 60 percent of the Third World population is under 20 years of age and half are 15 years or younger. This being the case, a volatile mixture of youthful aspirations coupled with economic and political frustrations tends to create a pool of possible terrorists in those countries. Today’s terrorists have a deep-seated belief in the justice of their causes. They are tough and cunning and have little regard for their lives or the lives of others. Terrorists’ weaponry often comes from the illegal international arms market and could originate with legitimate arms vendors, which are, to a great extent, unregulated. Through their expansive organizational structure, many terrorists have the ability to acquire timely information on potential targets and the security precautions for these targets. If governmental pressures become more effective against them, terrorists will simply focus on easier targets.
Terrorists can be a part of a large organization or can act with only a few persons who share similar beliefs. Examples of large terrorist organizations include the Palestine Liberation Front (PLF), which has an estimated 300 members operating among three factions. The Abu Nidal Organization (ANO) boasts a membership of 500 and has an international theater of operation. Many terrorist organizations have memberships in the thousands. White points out that most terrorist groups have a membership of fewer than 50 people; under a command element, which usually consists of a few people, the group is divided according to specific tasks.338 For example, intelligence sections are responsible for accessing targets, support sections provide the means to carry out the assault, and tactical sections actually carry out the terrorist action. Organizationally and operationally, these groups are structured much like other organized crime groups.
Unlawfulness or Illegitimacy AudioListen to the AudioListen to the Audio Some official (notably government) definitions of terrorism add a criterion of illegitimacy or unlawfulness to distinguish between actions authorized by a government (and thus “lawful”) and those of other actors, including individuals and small groups.345 Using this criterion, actions that would otherwise qualify as terrorism would not be considered terrorism if they were government sanctioned. For example, firebombing a city, which is designed to affect civilian support for a cause, would not be considered terrorism if it were authorized by a government. This criterion is inherently problematic and is not universally accepted because it denies the existence of state terrorism; the same act may or may not be classed as terrorism, depending on whether its sponsorship is traced to a “legitimate” government. “Legitimacy” and “lawfulness” are subjective, depending on the perspective of one government or another, and this criterion diverges from the historically accepted meaning and origin of the term (see Box 16–1).346 For these reasons, this criterion is not universally accepted, and most dictionary definitions of the term do not include it.
Box 16–1 U.S. Terrorism Legislation Biological Weapons Anti-terrorism Act of 1989. Enacted May 22, 1990; provides for the implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention as well as criminal penalties for violation of its provisions. Executive Order 12947. Signed by President Bill Clinton January 23, 1995; prohibits financial transactions with any “Specially Designated Terrorist.” A “Specially Designated Terrorist” is any person who is determined by the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury under notices or regulations issued by the Office of Foreign Assets Control. Omnibus Counterterrorism Act of 1995. Prohibits transactions with terrorists; President Clinton described the bill as a “comprehensive effort to strengthen the ability of the United States to deter terrorist acts and punish those who aid or abet any international terrorist activity in the United States” and requested “the prompt and favorable consideration of this legislative proposal by the Congress.” US Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996. Pub. L. No. 104-132, 110 Stat. 1214; also known as AEDPA, an act of Congress signed into law on April 24, 1996. The bill passed with broad bipartisan support by Congress (91–8–1 in the U.S. Senate, 293–133–7) in the House of Representatives following the 1990s World Trade Center and Oklahoma City bombings, and signed into law by President Bill Clinton. Executive Order 13224. Signed by President George W. Bush on September 23, 2001; authorizes the seizure of assets of organizations or individuals designated by the Secretary of the Treasury to assist, sponsor, or provide material or financial support or who are otherwise associated with terrorists (66 Fed. Reg. 49,079). 2001 USA Patriot Act (amended March 2006). Provisions include roving wiretaps, searches of business records (the “library records provision”), and conducting surveillance of “lone wolves”—individuals suspected of terrorist-related activities not linked to terrorist groups.
Homeland Security Act of 2002, Pub. L. 107-296. Created the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the new cabinetlevel position of Secretary of Homeland Security. It is the largest federal government reorganization since the Department of Defense was created via the National Security Act of 1947. Support Anti-terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies Act (SAFETY Act) of 2002. A little-known and often misunderstood piece of legislation that can protect an entity from the truly “enterprise-threatening” liability it could face following a terrorist event. Border Protection Anti-terrorism and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005. A comprehensive bill that requires up to 700 miles of fence along the U.S.–Mexico border at points with the highest number of illegal border crossings. It also requires the federal government to take custody of illegal aliens detained by local authorities. This ended the practice of “catch and release,” where federal officials sometimes instructed local law enforcement to release detained illegal aliens because resources to prosecute them are not available. It also reimburses local agencies in the 29 counties along the border for costs related to detaining illegal aliens.Real ID Act of 2005. Sets forth requirements for state driver’s licenses and ID cards to be accepted by the federal government for “official purposes,” as defined by the Secretary of Homeland Security.
Self-Radicalization: The Homegrown Terrorist16.6 Explain the problems of investigating self-radicalized terrorism. AudioListen to the AudioListen to the AudioModern Islamist extremism emerged in the middle of the last century, but initially was limited to the Middle East. That dramatically changed in the aftermath of the assault on 9/11 when the threat Islamist terrorism posed to countries in the Western world became apparent. Although it was not the first time Islamist extremists targeted a Western country, the scale of the attack—which included killing almost 3,000 people and destroying the iconic Twin Towers—demonstrated that the threat from such organizations and individuals had shifted. Today, Western societies increasingly deal with an increase in so-called homegrown Islamist terrorism.Homegrown terrorism or self-radicalization is not a new phenomenon, as nationals of the respective country conduct the vast majority of typical nationalistic or politically motivated terrorist activity. The terms homegrown terrorism and homegrown violent extremism typically describe self-radicalized Western citizens or local residents. They adopt an extremist religious or political ideology hostile to Western societies and values and turn to terrorism. The word radicalization has many definitions in intelligence and law enforcement communities. According to the FBI, homegrown terrorism is “the process by which individuals come to believe their engagement in or facilitation of non-state violence to achieve social and political change is necessary and justified.”372
For example, in 2009, 19-year-old Jordanian national Hosam Maher Hussein Smadi parked what he believed to be a large VBIED in the underground garage of Fountain Place—a beautiful, conspicuous skyscraper in the heart of the Dallas, Texas, business district. He armed and powered up the elaborate timing device, exited the building during the busy weekday lunch rush, and was picked up by an associate who he believed was a low-level soldier in al-Qaeda cell he had located after a long search.373With the associate, Smadi drove to the top of a nearby parking garage, where he used his mobile phone to dial the number that he believed would detonate the VBIED—he had insisted on personally command-detonating the bomb—and destroy the building, killing thousands of innocent civilians in and around Fountain Place. The call, however, did not activate a VBIED; instead, it signaled the North Texas Joint Terrorism Task Force to arrest Smadi while he attempted to commit mass murder in the name of al-Qaeda.Smadi had spent months planning the attack, modifying his plans as to which target he would focus on and what type of explosive device he would use. He believed he was fortunate to have found in the United States an al-Qaeda sleeper cell planning the next large-scale attack and that he could convince the cell to let him commit an enormous act of terrorism as an al-Qaeda soldier. In fact, Smadi had not found an al-Qaeda sleeper cell but an FBI undercover operation.374 The Smadi investigation highlights the ongoing threat of lone offenders who operate without any ties to terrorist groups or states, can become radicalized by propaganda easily found on the Internet, and increasingly develop in America’s rural areas.Who and HowThe task of counterterrorism is more art than science. Radicalization, especially of Islamist extremists, has only recently become a serious topic of research by law enforcement organizations, intelligence agencies, and academia. Yet, data still are not extensive and have resulted mainly from shared analysis of terrorist attacks that have been either already executed or prevented. Baseline data for comparison have proven difficult to collect because of legal restrictions and other issues. Collection of data also presents challenges because as a rule, Islamist terrorism is not static, but highly flexible, including its recent manifestation into homegrown terrorism. To counter this threat, various government studies from Western European countries and comparable research in the United States have considered two key points of homegrown violent extremism: who becomes radicalized and how the radicalization process works.375
Research shows that in both Europe and the United States, violent Islamist extremists represent a broad range of the population. In Western countries, most of these individuals have been nationals or have had legal status in the country. They are ethnically diverse, although in some European countries, the majority of identified Islamist terrorists comprise part of the largest immigrant Muslim community.Most terrorists are male, but women also play a significant role. The majority of extremists are between 20 and 30 years old, but older men—and sometimes women—should also be considered. Although numerous individuals are single, many also have steady relationships and children.376 Their educational backgrounds span the entire spectrum, from no formal qualifications to postgraduate degrees (although most work in relatively low-grade jobs). Some analysis indicated that many radicalized Islamists in Western Europe tend to seek a grouporiented life, and group dynamics also have proven a common factor in promoting terrorist activities in the United States.377A disproportionately high number of Islamist extremists in the West converted to Islam, but this neither insinuates a general tendency toward radicalization among converts nor does it deny the fact that the majority of Islamist extremists were born into the Muslim faith.378 Most of these terrorists’ prior criminal involvement was minor or nonexistent. Homegrown Islamist extremists are so socially and demographically diverse that no universally accepted profile can be compiled using sociodemographic characteristics.
Tactics to Destabilize Terrorist Organizations16.7 Describe the tactics used to destabilize terrorist organizations. AudioListen to the AudioListen to the AudioThe most visible and immediately effective tactic of U.S. terrorist financing strategy has been designating and blocking the accounts of terrorists and those financing terrorist activity. Publicly designating terrorists, terrorist supporters, and facilitators and blocking their ability to receive and move funds through the world’s financial system has been and is a crucial component in the fight against terrorism. On September 24, 2001, President Bush issued Executive Order 13244, Blocking Property and Prohibiting Transactions with Persons Who Commit, Threaten to Commit, or Support Terrorism.383The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Enforcement, in conjunction with the Treasury’s Office of International Affairs and the Office of Foreign Assets Control, has helped lead U.S. efforts to identify and block the assets of terroristrelated individuals and entities within the United States and worldwide. Currently, 250 individuals and entities are publicly designated as terrorists or terrorist supporters by the United States, and since September 11, 2001, more than $113 million in assets of terrorists has been frozen around the world.384Currently, more than 165 countries and jurisdictions have blocking orders in force. Alternative financial mechanisms to combat terrorist financing conducted through these mechanisms include the following measures:
Protecting charities from terrorist abuse. Under the authority of Executive Order 13224, the United States has designated 12 charitable organizations as having ties to al-Qaeda or other terrorist groups. The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Special Recommendation VIII on Terrorist Financing commits all member nations to ensure that nonprofit organizations cannot be misused by financiers of terrorism.Regulating hawalas. Terrorists have also used hawalas and other informal value-transfer systems as a means of terrorist financing. The word hawala (meaning “trust”) refers to a fast and cost-effective method for the worldwide remittance of money or value, particularly for persons who may be outside the reach of the traditional financial sector. In some nations, hawalas are illegal; in others, they are active but unregulated. It is therefore difficult to accurately measure the total volume of financial activity associated with the system; however, it is estimated that, at a minimum, tens of billions of dollars flow through hawalas and other informal value-transfer systems on an annual basis.Controlling bulk cash smuggling. Bulk cash smuggling has proven to be yet another means of financing adopted by terrorists and their financiers. Customs has executed 650 bulk cash seizures totaling $21 million, including $12.9 million with Middle East connections. Pursuing bulk cash smuggling from a domestic perspective, however, is not enough; disruption of this tactic requires a global approach.Investigating trade-based terrorist financing. With respect to trade-based financial systems, authorized enforcement agencies continue to investigate the use of licit and illicit international trade commodities (for example, diamonds, gold, honey, and cigarettes, as well as narcotics) to fund terrorism. The U.S. Customs Service has developed a state-of-the-art database system to identify anomalous trade patterns for imports and exports to and from the United States. In the past, customs has demonstrated this system to other nations, including Colombia, with excellent results.Investigating terrorist cyberfundraising activities. Terrorist groups now exploit the Internet to recruit supporters and raise terrorist funds. Developing a strategy to counter such cyberfundraising activities is a responsibility that the Treasury Department assumed in its 2002 National Money Laundering Strategy.
Beyond simply freezing assets, these U.S. and international actions to publicly identify terrorists and their supporters advance global interests in terrorist financing and combating terrorism by shutting down the pipeline by which designated parties move money and operate financially in the mainstream financial sectors.informing third parties who may be unwittingly financing terrorist activity of their association with supporters of terrorism.providing leverage over those parties not designated who might otherwise be willing to finance terrorist activity.exposing terrorist financing “money trails” that may generate leads to previously unknown terrorist cells and financiers.forcing terrorists to use alternative and potentially more costly informal means of financing their activities.supporting diplomatic effort to strengthen other countries’ capacities to combat terrorist financing through the adoption and implementation of legislation that allows states to comply with their obligations under U.N. Security Council Resolutions 1390 and 1373.The field of criminal investigation faces many challenges in the twenty-first century. Although there have been operational and technical advancements in methods to detect and capture lawbreakers, those same lawbreakers are finding ways to avoid detection. As technology develops, it is crucial for criminal investigators across the nation to continue to use professional venues, such as conferences and professional magazines, and other ways to share investigative best practices. Doing so will continue to professionalize the field of criminal investigation and further efforts to capture those who continue to victimize society.
Terrorism and National Security Crimes Define terrorism.
Terrorism is pervasive throughout the world and remains one of the most complex and difficult issues facing law enforcement in the twenty- first century. There is no single, universally accepted definition of the word terrorism. It is defined in a number of ways by a number of organizations.Persons who carry out acts of terror vary in age, race, and cultural background. Today’s terrorists have a deep-seated belief in the justice of their causes. They have little regard for their lives or the lives of others. Terrorists can be a part of a large organization or can act with only a few persons who share similar beliefs.
What are the four primary elements of terrorism outlined in the federal Foreign Relations Authorization Act?Why is it difficult to provide a precise, universal definition of terrorism?What types of geo-political organizations have practiced terrorism over the years?What form does terrorism take when practiced by ruling governments?Why is it difficult to create a terrorist profile? Other than where the act is committed, how do domestic terrorism and international terrorism differ?What types of specific tasks are involved in planning terrorist acts?What key criteria are used to describe terrorists and terrorist organizations?Why is the media an important player in terrorist attacks?How do terrorists gain access to the weapons used to carry out their acts of terror?How is the structure of terrorist groups similar to the structure of organized crime groups?16.2 Describe the various forms of terrorism.Terrorism has been classified in five distinct forms. Based on intentions, goals, and methods used to carry out terrorist acts, some forms of terror merit more attention than others from law enforcement. How is terrorism categorized?How do ideological and revolutionary terrorism differ?What countries are considered strong supporters of state-sponsored terrorism?What are the goals of state-sponsored terrorism?What are the consequences (positive and negative) of state-sponsored terrorism?What are key tactics used by revolutionary terrorists?What is the ultimate goal of revolutionary terrorism?30116.3 Explain the problem of international terrorism.Experts in international terrorism point out that jihadism, or the Islamic Holy War movement, survives independent of any one organization and appears to be gaining strength around the world. Jihadist principles continue to serve as the organizing rationale for extremist groups in much of the Muslim world.
What makes the use of the term Islamism problematic?Why has the war in Iraq aggravated and intensified the anti-Western sentiment of some people in the Middle East?Why is it important to distinguish between Islamists and Islamist terrorists?What techniques are used by al-Qaeda to carry out its terror attacks?Until 2011, who was the leader of al-Qaeda?What is the most effective tactic to destabilize terrorist organizations?16.4 Identify the types of weapons of mass destruction terrorists seek to use in an attack.The U.S. Department of State identifies four categories of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) that terrorists may seek to acquire and use in a WMD terrorist attack. How does the U.S. State Department categorize weapons of mass destruction?What factors make investigating terrorist acts via chemical weapons more difficult?The 2001 anthrax attacks are an example of what form of terrorism?Why is it more likely that a terrorist group can gain access to a radiological dispersal device than a nuclear weapon?16.5 Explain the problem of domestic terrorism.According to the FBI, between 1980 and 2000, 250 of the 335 incidents confirmed as or suspected to be terrorist acts in the United States were carried out by American citizens. Domestic terrorist groups include the Army of God, Animal Liberation Front, Earth Liberation Front, and the Jewish Defense League.
How does the Patriot Act define acts of domestic terrorism?What organization may be deemed as the oldest and most recognizable terrorist organization in the United States?What kinds of tactics has this terror organization used throughout its history?Identify examples of “homegrown” terrorists.What are some of the most recent examples of domestic terrorism?How does the death of Osama bin Laden affect the direction of al-Qaeda?16.6 Explain the problems of investigating self-radicalized terrorism.It is no secret that we live in times of unpredictability with active shooters and criminals motivated by political agendas. Some such persons commit their crimes on foreign soil but others have been identified on U.S. soil as well which makes it a law-enforcement concern. Explain the meaning of the term self-radicalized terrorism.In what ways does self-radicalized terrorism present itself to the criminal investigator in American policing?What investigative techniques can be adopted to address the problem of self-radicalized terrorism?30216.7 Describe the tactics used to destabilize terrorist organizations.The most visible and immediately effective tactic of U.S. terrorist financing strategy has been designating and blocking the bank accounts of terrorists and those associated with financing terrorist activity. Publicly designating terrorists, terrorist supporters, and facilitators and blocking their ability to receive and move funds through the world’s financial system has been and is a crucial component in the fight against terrorism. Explain how the assets of terrorists can be identified.Identify the U.S. government organizations that identify and block the assets of terrorist-related individuals.Describe the alternative financial mechanisms to combat terrorist financing.In what ways can hawalas and other informal value-transfer systems of terrorist financing be identified and stopped?