1st Edition
Investment of Criminal Proceeds into the Legitimate Economy An Analysis of Italian and Russian Organised Crime in the UK Real Estate Market
This book explores the infiltration of Italian and Russian organised crime in the UK real estate market, assessing how vulnerable the UK is to these sorts of activities. It identifies the drivers behind the criminal choices and modus operandi of Italian and Russian organised crime groups, and the factors causing their mobility abroad.
Investment of Criminal Proceeds into the Legitimate Economy broadens our knowledge on the relationship between criminal agency and criminogenic opportunity in a socio-economic and legal context. This book offers a critical insight into the criminal actors and operations of Italian and Russian organised crime groups, such as money laundering schemes in the real estate sector, whilst also exploring the role of crime facilitators. Drawing on interviews with prosecutors, law enforcement agents and investigative journalists, Investment of Criminal Proceeds into the Legitimate Economy explores how criminal investments adversely affect both law enforcement operations and socio-economic development in this area.
An accessible and compelling read, this book will appeal to students and scholars of criminology, law, organised crime, policymakers, and all those interested in how Italian and Russian organised crime operates in the UK real estate market.
Introduction 1.Understanding Italian and Russian organised crime modus operandi abroad: The UK real estate market 2.Criminogenic opportunities in the UK real estate market 3.Socio-economic consequences and response in detecting organised crime investments in the UK real estate market 4.Conclusion and recommendations
Biography
Emanuele Sclafani is an Associate Lecturer in the Bristol Law School at the University of the West of England.
'Emanuele Sclafani’s excellent book shines a light on organised crime mobility abroad, modus operandi and socio-criminological implications of Italian and Russian organised crime groups in the UK real estate market. This pioneering research adopts an innovative cross-disciplinary analysis and offers unique, eye-opening insights into the infiltration of organised crime groups in this area. A must read for academics, practitioners and students from the fields of criminology, economic crime, political science, and law interested in a well-rounded perspective on this subject.'
Serguei I. Cheloukhine, Professor, Department of Law, Police Science, and Criminal Justice Administration, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, The City University of New York.
'Timely and important, Emanuele Sclafani’s monograph is both an investigation of the vulnerability of the real estate market to organized crime, and a fascinating comparative analysis of the motivations and capacities that different criminal subcultures exhibit when they engage with lawful institutions and professions. The book takes on additional importance in this moment of heightened international conflict, when attention is focused on the uncomfortable connections between western business and political leaders and their ostensible opponents in the criminal underworld and hostile foreign governments. A must-read for anyone seeking to understand the role of organized crime in the nominally legitimate economy.'
Matthew Light, Professor, Centre for Criminology & Sociolegal Studies, University of Toronto.
