Overview
On June 30, 2022, Law360 quoted Steve Welk in a piece titled "Graft, Grift and A Sordid Tale of Lavish LA Properties." The piece discusses multiple legal cases amongst U.S. prosecutors, the Kuwaiti government, an ex-minister, ex-convicts, and others. It highlights how the economy, financial system and real estate sector in the United States attracts tainted foreign funds, and how the government uses civil forfeiture actions to counter that threat.
Welk, commenting on the challenges the government faces when seizing the proceeds of foreign corruption said, "The outcomes of federal civil forfeiture cases often depend on the cooperation that US prosecutors receive from authorities in the jurisdictions where the original offenses took place… Proving the victimization of a government which insists that it is not a victim, or which is unwilling to provide the evidence needed to prove the alleged underlying crimes, creates a substantial challenge."
The full article can be read on Law360 (subscription required).