Anti-Money Laundering and Terror Finance Expert Joins FDD’s Center on Sanctions and Illicit Finance

Washington, DC — John Cassara, a 26-year federal intelligence and law enforcement veteran and expert on anti-money laundering policy and terror finance issues, has been named to the board of advisors of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Center on Sanctions and Illicit Finance (CSIF).

Cassara, who was an undercover arms dealer for two years, also served as a Treasury Special Agent in both the U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Customs Service, where he investigated money laundering, trade fraud and international smuggling.

During his extensive career in countering terrorist financing, Cassara developed expertise in Middle East money laundering, value transfer and underground financial systems. He also worked six years for Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and was detailed to the Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.

Cassara’s final assignment was with Treasury's Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence (TFI).

“John has accumulated a wealth of experience on money laundering and terrorist financing, including the growing threat of alternative remittance systems and forms of trade-based money laundering and value transfer,” said Mark Dubowitz, executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and, along with former White House and Treasury official, Juan Zarate, leads CSIF. “His expertise makes him a perfect addition to the CSIF team of scholars illuminating the critical intersection between the range of illicit finance activities and national security.”

Today, Cassara testified before the House Financial Services Committee Task Force to Investigate Terrorism Financing on how terrorist groups are using trade-based money laundering to generate revenue. Dubowitz continued, “As John notes in his testimony today, unofficial remittances of trade could be well over $1 trillion and he explains that our countermeasures for underground money remitters like hawaladars are not effective but often used by our terrorist adversaries. CSIF will work with John to shed light on the problem of trade that is used in underground financial systems and will help policymakers provide solutions to this immense money laundering challenge.”

Cassara now lectures in the United States and around the world on a variety transnational crime issues, and is been a consultant for government and industry. He authored or co-authored several articles and books, including Hide and Seek, Intelligence, Law Enforcement and the Stalled War on Terrorist Finance (2006), On the Trail of Terror Finance – What Intelligence and Law Enforcement Officers Need to Know (2010),  Demons of Gadara (2013), and Trade-Based Money Laundering: The Next Frontier in International Money Laundering Enforcement (2016).  

About the Foundation for Defense of Democracies:

The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) is a non-profit, non-partisan 501(c)3 policy institute focusing on foreign policy and national security. Founded in 2001, FDD combines policy research, democracy and counterterrorism education, strategic communications and investigative journalism in support of its mission to promote pluralism, defend democratic values and fight the ideologies that drive terrorism. Visit our website at www.defenddemocracy.org and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

About FDD’s Center on Sanctions and Illicit Finance (CSIF):

FDD’s Center on Sanctions and Illicit Finance is a project designed to illuminate the critical intersection between illicit finance and national security. The Center relies on regional and sanctions expertise within FDD, including a core cadre of financial, economic, and area experts and analysts, to promote a greater understanding of illicit financing and economic threats. The Center also designs creative and effective strategies, doctrines, and uses of financial and economic power to attack and protect against priority threats and vulnerabilities. More information on CSIF is available at http://www.defenddemocracy.org/csif.

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