Master of Arts in Financial Integrity (MAFI)

This course will examine the basic criminology of predicate crimes to money laundering and terrorism financing from both theoretical and empirical perspectives. Following an overview of the basics of the study of criminology and research in the social sciences, the course will review how these theoretical insights might apply to five predicate crimes: narcotics trafficking, corruption, human trafficking, and terrorism. Specific methodologies of laundering and terrorism financing will be reviewed and discussed.

This course will examine in detail the financial integrity preventive measures that banks and other financial institutions are required to implement. It will focus on risk assessment, customer on boarding and acceptance, record keeping, customer activity monitoring, suspicious activity report preparation, internal controls, and the supervisory process. Risk assessment techniques will be emphasized. The course will also review the FATF preventive measures standards and methods of compliance assessments. A sampling of key national laws and regulations, including those of the United States, will be included.

This course will examine the operations of national financial intelligence units in analyzing suspicious activity reports and other data, and create actionable intelligence from that information. It will then review the investigation and prosecution of both criminal and civil prosecution of financial integrity crimes. The course will also review the FATF operational and law enforcement standards, as well as the methods of compliance assessments. A sampling of key national laws and regulations, including those of the United States, will be included.

This course will examine, in detail, how financial intelligence units, investigators, prosecutors, and investigative judges/magistrates cooperate with officials of other jurisdictions to identify possible financial integrity crimes, investigate and prosecute those cases, and recover assets that are candidates for freezing or confiscation. The course will also review the FATF standards for cooperation in civil and criminal matters and methods of compliance assessments, relevant U.N. conventions, model laws and regulations, and a sampling of key national laws and regulations- including those of the United States.

The course will examine specific problems that arise in building an effective preventive measures program. In addition to an in-depth examination of selected problems in designing and implementing preventive measures, the course will cover audits, inspections, on-site examinations, and sanctions. It will rely primarily on the presentation and discussion of case studies in each critical area of an effective compliance program, with a focus on the banking sector.

The course will examine specific problems that arise in building and prosecuting financial integrity cases. In addition to an in-depth examination of selected problems in building and prosecuting cases, the course will cover problems in asset tracing and recovery, and will rely primarily on the presentation and discussion of case studies in each critical area of investigation and prosecution.

The course will focus on practical and theoretical issues of global justice as they pertain to anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism. What are our obligations to international justice? How do they influence financial integrity law? The course will consider the normative basis of jurisprudence, comparing legal positivism to natural law theory. Next, the course will look at theories of global justice suitable to answer normative questions on what law should aim at. The remainder of the course will consider practical issues that come into play with financial integrity law, such as corruption, poverty, distributive justice, human rights, violence, and war.

During this semester students will be involved in intensive research and will write on a topic of their choice in the area of financial integrity. Students will meet regularly with their capstone advisor as they write their capstone project. Students must successfully complete, present, and defend their capstone paper in order to graduate.