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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. 39: Sanctions, Crypto and the Enforcement Gap

    Ep. 39: Sanctions, Crypto and the Enforcement Gap
    Oct 26 2026

    Jason Sandoval speaks with Dr Jessica Davis, former analyst for FINTRAC and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), about what happens between spotting illicit crypto and actually seizing it. Drawing on her years inside Canadian intelligence, Jessica explains where cases stall after detection, why the money only tells part of the story, and what a win looks like when crypto can move in minutes.


    ⏱️ Timestamps

    05:15 – watching versus seizing

    09:50 – three state playbooks for crypto

    16:30 – how criminal liquidity helped states

    18:40 – FINTRAC’s mandate and OTC cash-out desks

    31:45 – financial intelligence and intent

    40:50 – what counterterrorist financing achieves

    44:30 – timely disruption and the speed of money


    👤 About Our Guest

    Dr Jessica Davis is President and Principal Consultant at Insight Threat Intelligence, researching how Iran, Russia, North Korea, China and Venezuela use crypto to evade sanctions. She spent 17 years in Canadian security and intelligence, including at FINTRAC and as a threat financing analyst at CSIS, and is the author of Illicit Money.


    🔑 Key Takeaways

    Watching and Seizing Work Together

    Every disruption displaces a network, and following what comes next reveals where it goes.

    Detection Is Not the Bottleneck

    Suspicious crypto activity is often flagged, but without dedicated investigators on the receiving end, disclosures rarely become seizures.

    Integrate the Financial Investigation

    The money only makes sense alongside the human and technical intelligence, not in a parallel workstream.

    Money Reveals Intent

    Financial intelligence can distinguish between people who plan to act and those who only talk.


    Smaller Flows Are Real Wins

    Reducing the money available for terrorism and sanctions evasion is a success in its own right.


    📚 Resources Mentioned
    • Jessica Davis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmdottawa
    • Insight Threat Intelligence: https://www.insightthreatintel.com
    • Illicit Money: Financing Terrorism in the Twenty-First Century by Jessica Davis: https://amzn.eu/d/0feNbpsL

    📬 Stay Connected

    If you found this episode useful, share it with your asset recovery colleagues, subscribe to Seize & Desist wherever you listen and connect with Asset Reality on LinkedIn to be the first to hear about new episodes, events and resources.


    ⚠️ Disclaimer

    Our 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.
    Show More Show Less
    51 mins
  • Ep 38: Inside the Additional Protocol to the Warsaw Convention

    Ep 38: Inside the Additional Protocol to the Warsaw Convention
    Sep 24 2026
    Jill Thomas speaks with Cornel Calinescu, chair of the Council of Europe committee that negotiated the new Additional Protocol to the Warsaw Convention. They discuss who writes asset recovery standards and what they mean for front-line practitioners.Cornel takes us inside the Strasbourg negotiations, where 41 jurisdictions turned a small protocol into more than 40 technical articles. He explains how an open treaty creates a common language: definitions for crypto assets and VASPs, broader confiscation types, standard forms for seizing orders, and post-conviction tracing. They also cover value as the measurement unit of asset recovery, interlocutory sales, and why statistics are still missing.Timestamps07:00 – Asset recovery over the last 20 years13:15 – the Warsaw Convention and the 1% problem19:30 – The Strasbourg negotiations 24:15 – An open treaty with a common language29:00 – Crypto, confiscation types and standard forms37:00 – Value as a measurement unit40:45 – Interlocutory sales and ANABI45:15 – Cornel's magic wand: changing the mindsetAbout Our GuestCornel Calinescu is an asset recovery consultant and chair of the Council of Europe committee on the Additional Protocol to the Warsaw Convention, elected by the 41 jurisdictions taking part. Over 26 years at Romania's Ministry of Justice, he established the country's first asset recovery office and led its consolidation into ANABI. He is a long-standing member of CARIN.Key TakeawaysAsset Recovery Needs One LanguageThe protocol defines crypto assets, VASPs and confiscation types so every party means the same thing.The Protocol Reaches Beyond EuropeAs an open treaty, jurisdictions outside the Council of Europe can use adopt instrument.Value Is the Measurement UnitOnly tracking value from crime to disposal shows whether a case met its target.Seize Assets, Not PaperValue-based orders must be backed by tracing, seizing and managing real assets.Speed Is Built Into the ProcessStandard forms replace translated, stamped files when crypto moves in a click.Resources MentionedCornel Calinescu on LinkedInCouncil of Europe Warsaw ConventionAdditional Protocol to the Warsaw Convention EU Directive on Asset Recovery and ConfiscationFATF Asset Recovery GuidanceStay ConnectedIf you found this episode useful, make sure you:Subscribe to Seize & Desist wherever you listenFollow Asset Reality on LinkedIn for updates, resources, and future episodesShare this episode with colleagues working in asset recovery, investigations, or financial crimeDisclaimerOur 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.
    Show More Show Less
    52 mins
  • Ep 37: From Wallet to Warrant: The Cases Rewriting Crypto Recovery

    Ep 37: From Wallet to Warrant: The Cases Rewriting Crypto Recovery
    Aug 25 2026

    Jason Sandoval speaks with Jonathan Benton, former Head of the UK's Int. Corruption Unit at the National Crime Agency and now CEO and Founder of Intelligent Sanctuary, about the gap between criminal efficiency and institutional deliberation, and what it takes to close it in digital asset recovery. They discuss how immutable on-chain markers are used to identify wallet holders and support compliance with FATF's recommendations, as well as the legal questions being tested in court cases like Tulip, D'Aloia and Jones.


    Seize & Desist speaks to practitioners across asset recovery, investigators, policymakers and people building tools in the field. No guest pays to appear, and nothing mentioned, including any tools or technology discussed, is endorsed or commercially connected to Asset Reality.


    ⏱️ Timestamps

    01:30 – Jonathan’s years in law enforcement

    14:45 – marking stolen crypto to identify wallet holders

    19:00 – on-chain movement vs wallet attribution

    28:45 – legal questions raised by Tulip, D'Aloia and Jones

    33:45 – on-chain marking and FATF compliance

    45:00 – building the International Anti-Corruption Coordination Centre


    👤 About Our Guest

    Jonathan Benton is CEO and Founder of Intelligent Sanctuary. He spent 30 years in UK law enforcement as a Detective Superintendent and the Head of the NCA's International Corruption Unit, leading some of Britain’s most complex corruption cases, including the Ibori case, the OPL 245 oil block scandal, and the case against the former Nigerian petroleum minister, as well as designing the International Anti-Corruption Coordination Centre.


    🔑 Key Takeaways

    Agility Is the Real Gap

    Criminals move faster than institutions because nobody makes them fill out a form first. Procurement and policy cycles lag years behind criminal adoption of new tools.

    On-Chain Visibility Isn't Attribution

    Standard blockchain analytics show what happened on-chain, not who controls the wallet behind it. Closing that gap is what makes recovery possible.

    Immutable Markers Turn Flags Into Evidence

    A wallet marked with a police reference number, visible on any blockchain explorer and removable only by investigators, gives exchanges something concrete to act on.

    Courts Are Setting the Rules Case by Case

    Tulip, D'Aloia and Jones are testing a different legal questions, from exchange liability to service by NFT, shaping how digital asset recovery works in practice.


    📚 Resources Mentioned
    • Jonathan Benton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanbenton
    • Intelligent Sanctuary: https://isanctuary.io
    • Cambridge Int. Symposium on Economic Crime: https://www.crimesymposium.org

    📬 Stay Connected

    If you found this episode useful, make sure you:

    • Subscribe wherever you listen
    • Follow Asset Reality on LinkedIn for updates on future episodes
    • Share this episode with your colleagues working in asset recovery, investigations, or financial crime


    ⚠️ Disclaimer

    Our 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.
    Show More Show Less
    51 mins
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