The Cornerstone Report: Volume 3, Issue 2

The E-Cornerstone of Economic Security

Specially-trained agents at the ICE Cyber Crimes Center investigate Internet-based financial crimes.

The Center

The ICE Cyber Crimes Center (C3) in Fairfax, Va., is recognized nationally and internationally as a leader in the investigation of international criminal activities conducted on or facilitated by the Internet.

Created in 1997, the C3 brings the full range of ICE computer and forensic assets together to combat such Internet-related crimes as possession, manufacture and distribution of child porno-graphy; international money laundering; illegal arms traffick-ing; and intellectual property rights violations.

The Mission

Electronic currencies, or e-currencies, can be fundamentally defined as units of value linked to the value of some other item that can represent cash, gold and other precious metals, merchandise or services facilitated via the Internet. The use of e-currency systems by criminals has been well documented by ICE and other law enforcement agencies.

To combat the laundering of e-currencies, ICE C3 developed the E-Cornerstone initiative, an intensified investigative focus on e-currency and Internet money laundering that parallels and augments existing ICE Cornerstone efforts.

ICE C3 has taken a three-pronged approach to the E-Cornerstone initiative—training, outreach and interagency cooperation.

Training: To foster the efforts to create a robust and aggressive investigative program, the C3 has provided training to more than 150 ICE field agents in 2006 to specifically focus money laundering investigations on the Internet financial sectors.

Outreach: In an effort to establish reliable points of contact and to develop investigative leads, ICE C3 directs the field in conducting industry outreach with financial institutions that facilitate their businesses on the Internet.

Interagency Cooperation: ICE C3 and the U.S. Secret Service are leading the Global E-Currency Task Force (GETF), which works with other domestic and foreign law enforcement and private sector entities involved in e-currency to outline strategies to combat online money laundering.

The Goal

Apprehending and bringing violators to justice is one of the best ways to deter and prevent abuse in any system. Investigating and arresting violators who are using the Internet to launder and transfer money is therefore a primary goal of the E-Cornerstone initiative.

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Cornerstone is U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) comprehensive investigative initiative for fighting financial crime, trade fraud and intellectual property crime.

The Cornerstone Report is a quarterly bulletin highlighting key issues related to ICE financial and trade investigations.

The Cornerstone Report covers a broad range of topics related to financial investigations and potential vulnerabilities in the financial and trade sectors.

We strive to present clear thinking by knowledgeable observers that can be read with ease and pleasure by both professionals and a general audience, and we’re happy to review unsolicited submissions for potential publication in the newsletter.

If you would like to submit an article for publication or simply find out more about how you can participate in the Cornerstone initiative, drop us an e-mail at cornerstone@dhs.gov.