Uncover how drug cartels weaponized global trade to launder billions through the US financial system.
This program provides a detailed examination of the Black Market Peso Exchange (BMPE), one of the most sophisticated and effective money-laundering systems ever used by international drug cartels. Beginning with the historical and economic conditions that gave rise to the BMPE, the presentation explains how billions of dollars in narcotics proceeds were laundered through the U.S. financial system without physically leaving the country.
Attendees will gain an understanding of how placement, layering, and integration function in practice, using the BMPE as a real-world model of large-scale financial crime.
The program then turns to the legal framework governing money laundering prosecutions under federal law, including 18 U.S.C. § 1956 and related reporting and structuring statutes. Through an extended real-world case study, participants will analyze how prosecutors establish intent, knowledge, and concealment, as well as how defense counsel challenge those elements through evidentiary and mens rea-based defenses.
The presentation equips attorneys with a practical understanding of anti-money-laundering enforcement, financial investigations, and defense strategies in complex white-collar and narcotics-related cases.
Trial, entertainment law and U.S. international tax law
Michael is a partner in the boutique law firm of DeBlis Law where he specializes in tax compliance and entertainment law. Michael graduated from Western Michigan University School of Law in 2007 and later went on to earn his Masters of Law in taxation (LL.M.) from Thomas Jefferson School of Law in 2012. As a former public defender, Michael has spent nearly eight years cutting his teeth on some of the most serious felony cases to pass through the state courts of New Jersey. Michael’s unique background in tax law puts him into an elite category of criminal defense attorneys who specialize in criminal tax defense. His extensive trial experience and solid grounding in all major areas of federal taxation make him uniquely qualified to handle any white-collar case, no matter how sophisticated it might be. Michael is known for his creativity, his charismatic personality, and his unyielding dedication to his clients. As a graduate of the National Criminal Defense College, Michael has trained under some of the best known criminal defense attorneys in the country. That experience has taught him that justice for a person accused of a crime is only won through a full understanding of the client and the case. To that end, Michael attempts to understand each client’s case as a convincing narrative, not just as a set of innocuous facts and arcane legal rules. When he's not in the courtroom, you can find Michael on stage. As a professionally trained actor, Michael's passionate about helping trial lawyers harness the power of persuasion and positive communication in the courtroom in order to connect to the jury on a human level. Michael's training as an actor allows him to combine a unique blend of left-brain thinking with right brain artistry to make even the most dull and abstract areas of the law come to life. This burst of creativity has contributed to Michael's success as a distinguished author and sought-out speaker. Michael has written articles that have been published in leading tax journals, such as "CCH Journal of Tax Practice and Procedure," "EA Journal," "Global Tax Weekly," and "ABA News Quarterly" and is a columnist for "Law360." He has been featured on the media affiliates of several major media networks, including NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox, and CNN. Michael is a living example of the tremendous power that comes from combining passion, preparation, persuasion, and positive communication in the courtroom. His courage and relentless work ethic have earned him a reputation as a zealous advocate and one of New Jersey's rising stars of the legal profession.
