Terrorist Financing in the Age of Cryptocurrency

"In a way, if you were a juror on this case, you got educated on cryptocurrency, terrorist financing, and also the Syrian Civil War." - Edward Burns

In this episode, Ian Andrews (CMO, Chainalysis) has a full house as he speaks to several key members of the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, including the District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, the Assistant District Attorney, Edward Burns and the Chief of the Counterterrorism Unit, David Stuart.  As well as Dan Heesemann, Intelligence Research Specialist at the NYPD.

The team discusses a fascinating case involving cryptocurrency and terrorism financing and shares how they were able to uncover an individual sending money to a terrorist group in Syria and planning violent attacks on American soil.

They walk through the challenges of presenting technical evidence in court and the surprising defense strategy used by the defendant.

This gripping episode sheds light on the intersection of crime, cryptocurrency, and counterterrorism efforts and the persistence and collaboration law enforcement and the District Attorney’s office have to utilize in order to bring these criminals to justice. 

Minute-by-minute episode breakdown

2 | Background of the public sector guests and their entrance into cryptocurrency    

4 | The People  vs. Victoria Jacobs: The cryptocurrency terrorist financing case

9 | Unveiling the terrorist financier's intent and tactics

14 | The elusive Salman Belarusi: Operational security mastermind

18 | Simplifying cryptocurrency for jury understanding

20 | Terrorism, cryptocurrency and the Syrian Conflict

22 | Jury deliberates for hours and finds the defendant guilty on all counts 

25 | Manhattan DA, Alvin Bragg explains provides an update on sentencing and closure in case

Related resources

Check out more resources provided by Chainalysis that perfectly complement this episode of the Public Key.

• Website: Manhattan District Attorney's Office: One Standard of Justice for All
• Website: New York City Police Department (NYPD) is the largest and one of the oldest municipal police departments in the United States
• Press Release: Victoria Jacobs Sentenced To 18 Years In Prison For Using Cryptocurrency To Fund Syrian-Based Terrorist Groups; Launder Supporters’ Contributions
• Registration: Digital premiere of Links 2024 (NYC Main Stage Content and more - Register Now!)
• Report -  Crypto Investigations: Blockchain Intelligence for Law Enforcement (Available Now)
• YouTube: Chainalysis YouTube page
• Twitter: Chainalysis Twitter: Building trust in blockchain
• Tik Tok: Building trust in #blockchains among people, businesses, and governments.
• Telegram: Chainalysis on Telegram 

Speakers on today’s episode

• Ian Andrews * Host * (Chief Marketing Officer, Chainalysis)
• Alvin Bragg (District Attorney, Manhattan District Attorney's Office)
• Edward Burns (Assistant District Attorney, Manhattan District Attorney's Office)
• David Stuart (Chief of the Counterterrorism Unit, Manhattan District Attorney's Office)
• Dan Heesemann (Intelligence Research Specialist, NYPD)

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