The Intersection of Human Trafficking and Financial Investigations

Proactive investigations of human trafficking involve the use of advanced investigative methods and criminal intelligence, with pre-planning and active collaboration between law enforcement, prosecutors, victim service providers, and other key interdisciplinary partners. These approaches go beyond traditional vice sting operations, and include leveraging existing data sources and criminal intelligence to target specific types of human trafficking (e.g, illicit massage businesses, trafficking of minors, labor trafficking, etc.), outreach to vulnerable populations, and other strategies.

Many jurisdictions conduct concurrent financial investigations as part of their human trafficking cases, but these complex investigations can be intimidating for even the most seasoned investigators and prosecutors. This webinar will provide attendees with key insights to conducting financial investigations, including how to get started, an introduction to relevant tools, selecting the right cases, and building buy-in from leadership and other stakeholders.

Following this webinar, attendees will be able to:

• Identify the applicable federal statutes related to financial crimes and money laundering;
• Implement innovative approaches to conducting financial investigations;
• Identify specific indicators of sex trafficking and/or forced labor in financial investigations;
• Build buy-in from leadership to support resource and staffing needs for financial investigations; and
• Minimize or eliminate the need for victim participation during the criminal investigation and prosecution process.

Presented by:

• Jane Khodarkovsky, Human Trafficking Finance Specialist, Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS), U.S. Department of Justice
• Sergeant Nicholas Odenath, Ventura County (CA) Sheriff’s Office, Ventura County Human Trafficking Task Force

Moderated by:

• Katie Rossomondo, Project Coordinator, International Association of Chiefs of Police