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Seize & Desist

Seize & Desist

By: Asset Reality
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Welcome to Seize & Desist - the first podcast to explore the fascinating and complex world of seized assets. In this show, Asset Reality co-founder and CEO Aidan Larkin will be joined by some of the industry’s most influential and renowned experts to discuss their perspectives on the latest headlines, trends and challenges shaping the future of global asset recovery. They’ll explore how asset recovery impacts individuals and organisations alike and how it's evolving to keep pace with emerging technological advancements like cryptocurrencies, NFTs and other virtual assets. Whether you're new to the world of seized asset recovery or a seasoned practitioner, join us inside the world of asset recovery and uncover the stories shaping its future. Subscribe to be the first to hear new episodes of Seize & Desist. Connect with Asset Reality on social media: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asset-reality/ Twitter (X): https://twitter.com/asset_reality Stay up-to-date with the latest industry developments by reading our blog: https://www.assetreality.com/blog Connect with our host Aidan Larkin on social media: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aidan-larkin-29810781/ Twitter (X): https://twitter.com/AidanJLarkin Seize & Desist is for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide legal, tax, financial, and/or investment advice. Listeners must consult their own advisors before making decisions on the topics discussed. Asset Reality has no responsibility or liability for any decision made or any other acts or omissions in connection with your use of this material. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Views and opinions expressed by Asset Reality employees are those of the employees and do not necessarily reflect the views of the company. Asset Reality does not guarantee or warrant the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, suitability or validity of the information in any particular podcast and will not be responsible for any claim attributable to errors, omissions, or other inaccuracies of any part of such material. Unless stated otherwise, reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Asset Reality.Copyright Asset Reality 2024 Political Science Politics & Government
Episodes
  • Ep.35: Dirty Money Wins with Oliver Bullough and Jason Sandoval

    Ep.35: Dirty Money Wins with Oliver Bullough and Jason Sandoval
    Jun 30 2026
    Oliver Bullough has written three books on how dirty money moves around the world. His single biggest finding is so low-tech it almost sounds like a joke. Jason Sandoval, former DEA special agent and Asset Reality’s Head of European Operations, spent thirty years chasing the same problem. One investigated it, the other wrote about it. Together, they unpack why the global system for tackling money laundering is not working and what it would take to build something that does.⏱️ Timestamps02:30 – Money laundering as a meta-crime13:00 – Carousel fraud and what a mission-led response looks like24:00 – High-denomination banknotes and who is actually using them29:30 – Operation Destabilise and cash-for-crypto35:00 – Political will vs operational realities40:10 – Asset recovery as a fourteen-point swing42:20 – Oliver’s prescription👤 About Our GuestOliver Bullough is an award-winning journalist and author of Moneyland, Butler to the World, and Everybody Loves Our Dollars. He has spent his career mapping how dirty money moves globally, writing for The Guardian, The New York Times, GQ, and The Economist. This is his second appearance on Seize and Desist.🔑 Key TakeawaysCriminals Go Where Defences Are Weakest: As banks tightened controls, criminal wealth moved to crypto and trade finance, which remain vastly under-regulated.Carousel Fraud Shows What Works: The UK’s near-complete defeat of carousel fraud shows what happens when intelligence, law enforcement and legislation pull together with a shared mission.High-denomination Banknotes Undermine Everything: Fewer than 15% of US transactions are now done in cash, yet demand for $100 bills keeps rising. Central banks are printing them without asking where the demand is coming from.Asset Recovery Is a Fourteen-Point Swing: Taking assets from criminals degrades their capability and improves law enforcement’s at the same time.Political Will Is the Missing Variable: Every intervention Oliver identifies is achievable. The barrier is the political will to confront the interests of those with wealth to hide.📚 Resources MentionedEverybody Loves Our Dollars by Oliver Bullough: https://amzn.eu/d/06emtzVhButler to the World by Oliver Bullough: https://amzn.eu/d/gaqVRE9Moneyland by Oliver Bullough: https://amzn.eu/d/ezB43RvOliver Bullough on The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/oliverbulloughSeize & Desist Episode 19 with Oliver Bullough: https://link.cohostpodcasting.com/d9980f5e-8a52-48d5-a31b-0ecfe2a3cc89?d=eJs8ymAzD&v=8112📬 Stay ConnectedIf you found this episode useful, make sure you:Subscribe to Seize & Desist wherever you listenFollow Asset Reality on LinkedIn and X for updates, resources, and future episodesShare this episode with colleagues working in asset recovery, investigations, or financial crime⚠️ DisclaimerOur podcasts are for informational purposes only. They are not intended to provide legal, tax, financial, and/or investment advice. Listeners must consult their own advisors before making any decisions on the topics being discussed. Asset Reality has no responsibility or liability for any decision made or any other acts or omissions in connection with your use of this material. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Views and opinions expressed by Asset Reality employees are those of the employees and do not necessarily reflect the views of the company. Asset Reality does not guarantee or warrant the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, suitability or validity of the information in any particular podcast and will not be responsible for any claim attributable to errors, omissions, or other inaccuracies of any part of such material. Unless stated otherwise, reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Asset Reality.
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    47 mins
  • Ep. 34: The Implementation Gap: What You Seize Is What You Get

    Ep. 34: The Implementation Gap: What You Seize Is What You Get
    Apr 29 2026
    Jill Thomas speaks with Tristram Hicks about why cash seizure is one of the most powerful tools available to law enforcement and what it takes to build asset recovery systems that deliver at scale. As one of the lead practitioners behind the UK's Proceeds of Crime Act and an international capacity building adviser, Tristram explains what turns legislation into results, why financial DNA changes how investigators approach every crime, and what FATF's new asset recovery guidance means for practitioners worldwide.⏱️ Timestamps00:05 – Introductions01:41 – POCA: from dozens of cases to 5000+ a year11:45 – The cash seizure spark that changed UK practice16:12 – Incentivisation and why recycling assets changes minds23:10– Financial DNA: every financial transaction leaves a trace27:30 – How things used to be vs what we should be working towards33:20 – The need for statistics in asset seizure37:30 – The importance of cross agency reporting systems 40:30 – Magic wand: bring cash seizure powers inland👤 About Our GuestTristram Hicks is the author of The War on Dirty Money and one of the most experienced asset recovery practitioners working internationally today. He spent ten years at the centre of the UK's Proceeds of Crime Act implementation, leading operational financial investigation teams at Scotland Yard while helping shape national policy. He has since worked across Europe, the Balkans, and beyond, advising governments on how to build asset recovery systems that deliver results in practice.🔑 Key TakeawaysCash Seizure Is the CatalystExtending powers from the border inland transformed UK practice. Most jurisdictions have the same dormant authority available today.Incentivisation Makes Legislation WorkThe UK's Proceeds of Crime Act succeeded because it built an implementation committee and recycled confiscated proceeds back to the agencies doing the work. Once the financial incentive was in place, national volumes grew 14-fold.Financial DNA Is EverywhereEvery financial transaction leaves a trace connecting people to people, places, and money.Embed Financial Investigators at the Front LineWorking alongside criminal investigators from the point of arrest is what converts law into seizures. Parallel structures are far more effective than isolated ones.📚 Resources MentionedThe War on Dirty Money by Tristram Hicks | AmazonTristram Hicks on SubstackTristram Hicks on LinkedInTristram’s Critique of the FATF GuidanceFATF Guidance on Asset RecoveryEU Asset Recovery Directive (2024)CARIN network📬 Stay ConnectedIf you found this episode useful:Subscribe to Seize & Desist wherever you listenFollow Asset Reality on LinkedIn for updates, resources, and future episodesShare this episode with those working in asset recovery, investigations or financial crime⚠️ DisclaimerOur podcasts are for informational purposes only. They are not intended to provide legal, tax, financial, and/or investment advice. Listeners must consult their own advisors before making decisions on the topics discussed. Asset Reality has no responsibility or liability for any decision made or any other acts or omissions in connection with your use of this material. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Views and opinions expressed by Asset Reality employees are those of the employees and do not necessarily reflect the views of the company. Asset Reality does not guarantee or warrant the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, suitability or validity of the information in any particular podcast and will not be responsible for any claim attributable to errors, omissions, or other inaccuracies of any part of such material. Unless stated otherwise, reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Asset Reality.
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    48 mins
  • Ep. 33: Following the Mail: Postal Intelligence in the Age of Crypto Crime

    Ep. 33: Following the Mail: Postal Intelligence in the Age of Crypto Crime
    Apr 2 2026
    Aidan Larkin speaks with Tara Kavanaugh, a federal investigator with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and liaison to the FBI's dark‑web opioid task force. Tara draws on a career spanning HUMINT work in the Middle East, signals intelligence at the NSA and crypto‑enabled investigations at USPIS to explain how modern crime moves across the mail system, the dark web, and digital‑asset ecosystems. She outlines the realities of mail‑based fraud, fentanyl supply chains, dark‑web vendor activity, and the growing “scamdemic,” while highlighting how postal data and blockchain analytics help identify offenders. They also discuss inter‑agency collaboration, investigative tooling and why asset recovery remains central to disrupting harm.⏱️ Timestamps00:00 – Early Career & Intelligence Background04:40 – USPIS Crypto Investigations06:45 – FBI Liaison Role & Dark‑Web Opioid Task Force12:50 – Using Postal Intelligence to Strengthen Federal Cases15:30 – Blockchain Tracing Patterns, Playbooks & Criminal Methods21:45 – Agency Readiness, SOPs & Evolving Crypto Capabilities25:45 – Crypto ATMs, Victim Risks & the Growing “Scamdemic”32:40 - The Modern Investigator’s Toolkit & Global Collaboration👤 About Our GuestTara Kavanaugh is a federal investigator at the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and liaison to the FBI’s Joint Dark‑Web and Opioid Task Force. Her career has spanned HUMINT operations in conflict zones, counterintelligence work at the NSA, dark‑web investigations targeting fentanyl vendors, and blockchain‑based tracing of narcotics proceeds and scam activity. Tara works across local, state, federal, and international partners like Europol to disrupt digital‑asset–enabled crime.🔑 Key TakeawaysAsset Recovery Is Not PeripheralFrom fentanyl vendors to terrorist financing, taking the money disrupts crime faster than arrests.Inter‑Agency Collaboration Works When Data FlowsUSPIS, FBI, Europol, and others share seized server data to proactively identify vendors and cases. USPIS postal metadata, label history, and mail‑stream analytics give investigators visibility that other agencies don’t have.Crypto ATMs Are a Major Scam VectorElderly victims are overwhelmingly targeted, and the machines provide deceptive legitimacy.Blockchain Tools Have Improved DramaticallyWhat once required hours of manual tracing now surfaces automatically across chains.📚 Resources Mentioned9CRC on YoutubeEuropol's Project A.S.S.E.TAlison Jimenez on Seize & DesistRich Lebel on Seize & DeistOperation ShamrockAsset Reality's FCA Approval📬 Stay Connected If you found this episode useful, make sure you:Subscribe to Seize & Desist on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listenFollow Asset Reality on LinkedIn for updates, resources, and future episodesShare this episode with those working in asset recovery, investigations or financial crime⚠️ DisclaimerOur podcasts are for informational purposes only. They are not intended to provide legal, tax, financial, and/or investment advice. Listeners must consult their own advisors before making decisions on the topics discussed. Asset Reality has no responsibility or liability for any decision made or any other acts or omissions in connection with your use of this material. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Views and opinions expressed by Asset Reality employees are those of the employees and do not necessarily reflect the views of the company. Asset Reality does not guarantee or warrant the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, suitability or validity of the information in any particular podcast and will not be responsible for any claim attributable to errors, omissions, or other inaccuracies of any part of such material. Unless stated otherwise, reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Asset Reality.
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    46 mins
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