THE, WHICH IS WHY WE BROUGHT
YOU END.
AND THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH, TIM
SEYMOUR.
DURING A STATE OF THE UNION TWO
WEEKS AGO, TONIGHT, PRESIDENT
BIDEN ANNOUNCED A NEW FEDERAL
TASK FORCE DEDICATED TO SEIZING
THE ASSETS OF RUSSIAN
OLIGARCHS.
THEY ARE THE FORMER KGB SPIES,
BUSINESS MEN AND WOMEN AND
MEMBERS OF THE RUSSIAN DEFENSE
INDUSTRY CLOSEST A VLADIMIR
PUTIN.
NOW, THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT'S
BEST FOLLOW THE MONEY GUY IS ON
THE CASE.
NBC INVESTIGATIONS
CORRESPONDENT TOM WINTER HAS
THIS EXCLUSIVE NEW INTERVIEW
WITH THE VETERAN PROSECUTOR.
>> WE ARE LOOKING TO DISRUPT
NETWORKS.
WE'RE LOOKING TO DISRUPT THE
COMFORT THAT THE OLIGARCHS AND
THE SANCTION PEOPLE ENJOY.
REAL ESTATE, YES.
BANK ACCOUNTS, YES.
ARTWORK, THE FRUITS OF THE
LUXURIOUS LIFE THAT IS ILL
GAINED, ALL OF THAT IS ON THE
TABLE.
>> ANDREW ADAMS, THE MAN
HUNTING THE OLIGARCHS MONEY, HE
WAS RUNNING OPERATION KLEPTO
CAPTURE.
>> THE REASON FOR COMING TO
WORKERS TO CHASE THEM MONEY,
AND THEN TO CHASE THE CRIME.
>> THE OLIGARCHS ARE VLADIMIR
PUTIN'S INNER CIRCLE.
KNOWN FOR THEIR YACHTS, VILLAS,
AND SPORTS TEAMS, SOME CAN NOW
SEE THOSE PERKS SEIZED IF
FEDERAL PROSECUTORS THINK
THEY'VE COMMITTED A CRIME.
>> ARE THERE ANY SPECIFIC
PLACES THAT YOU CAN PINPOINT
THAT YOU WOULD SAY WOULD BE
AREAS THAT YOU WILL BE FOCUSING
ON TWO GRAPHICALLY?
>> WE'RE TALKING ABOUT LUXURY
BUILDINGS, LUXURY REAL ESTATE.
THAT ADDS ON TO GEOGRAPHY IN A
PRETTY TIGHT WAY.
>> PLACES THAT RHYME WITH MIAMI,
NEW YORK, CHICAGO, LOS ANGELES,
THAT TYPE OF THING?
>> THAT SOUNDS RIGHT.
>> HOW DO YOU GO AFTER A
PERSON'S PRIVATE PROPERTY?
>> YOU CANNOT JUST WALK UP AND
GRAB SOMEBODY'S YACHT.
YOU HAVE TO WALK THROUGH THE
FACTS THAT LINK THE PROPERTY TO
A CRIME, AND TO BE ABLE TO
DESCRIBE NOT ONLY WHAT CRIME
WAS COMMITTED WITH A DEGREE OF
PROBABLE CAUSE, BUT YOU ALSO
HAVE TO TRACE THE PROPERTY TO
THE CONDITION OF THE CRIME.
>> AND IT'S NOT JUST THE
OLIGARCHS OR AN ITEM SITES.
AS THE PEOPLE MOVE ILLICIT
MONEY FOR THEM.
>> WHEN THE TASK FORCE IS ALSO
DESIGNED TO DO IS TO LOOK AT
FACILITATORS.
LOOK AT THEIR PARTIES WHO
ASSIST EITHER KNOWINGLY OR BY
TURNING A BLIND EYE TO MOVING
THESE FUNDS.
WE CALL THEM FACILITATORS, YOU
CAN SAY AIDERS.
>> HE SAYS ITS TEAMS ARE ARMED
WITH TOOLS TO LOOK AFTER ODOM
GAINS AND LAUNDERED MONEY.
>> THE SUBPOENA POWER WITH OUR
INVESTIGATIONS IS CRITICAL.
IN ALLOWS US TO ASK FOR RECORDS
AND TO REVIEW FINANCIAL
TRANSACTIONS IN A REALLY
POWERFUL WAY.
>> ADAMS KNOWS HE HAS A LOT OF
US TO SIFT THROUGH.
>> WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TENS OF
MILLIONS OF DOCUMENTS.
WE MAY BE TALKING ABOUT
THOUSANDS OF BOXES OF
DOCUMENTS.
>> WHAT DO YOU HOPE THE OVERALL
IMPACT OF YOUR WORK IS WHEN
THIS IS DONE?
>> ONE GOAL OF THIS TASK FORCE
JUST INDICATE THAT THERE WILL
ALSO BE ENFORCEMENT OF THESE
SANCTIONS.
BUT THERE WILL NOT BE AN ESCAPE
HATCH AROUND THE SANCTIONS
THROUGH MONEY LAUNDERERS AND
OPAQUE FINANCIAL NETWORKS.
>> WE ARE SO GRATEFUL TO OUR
FRIEND AND COLLEAGUE TOM WINTER
FOR BRINGING THAT INTERVIEW
HERE.
TOM JOINS ME LIVE.
DO YOU THINK IS GOING TO BE
ABLE TO DO?
IT >> ABSOLUTELY THINK SO.
I THINK HE SUPERSHARP, AND THIS
TEAM IS THE BEST THAT THERE IS
AT IT.
THEY'RE GONNA FOLLOW THE MONEY
HERE.
THIS IS THE GROUP THAT'S GOING
TO BE ABLE TO DO IT.
>> BUT HOW?
>> BY REPUTATION, BY THE CASES
THEY, MADE BY HOW THEY'RE GOING
TO LOOK THROUGH, AND HE TALKED
ABOUT IT.
CASES THAT HAVE 10 MILLION
PAGES OF DOCUMENTS.
BUT THEY UNDERSTAND THIS.
THE KEY THING THAT HE, AND HE
TELEGRAPHED THIS A LITTLE BIT
AND THE INTERVIEW, IS THAT THIS
IDEA THAT THERE ARE NETWORKS.
THEY'VE BEEN GROUPS OF
INDIVIDUALS.
THERE HAVE BEEN HATCH FUNDS.
THEY'VE BEEN ATTORNEYS THAT
HAVE KIND OF PUT TOGETHER A ONE
800 MONEY LAUNDERING SYSTEM.
AND THESE GROUPS ARE THERE, AND
THEY'RE AVAILABLE TO DO THIS,
AND I THINK THEY'RE GOING TO GO
AFTER SOME OF THESE FOLKS WHO
SHOULD PROBABLY BE PRETTY
SWEATY AND NERVOUS THAT THIS
TASK FORCE WAS FORMED.
AND IF THEY GO AFTER THEM,
THEY'LL FIND THAT WHERE THE
MONEY CAME FROM, AND WHERE WENT
OUT TO.
THAT'S WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN.
>> NONE OF THESE GUYS ARE
PUTTING ALL THEIR MONEY IN A
CHASE BANK ACCOUNT.
THEY ARE NOT BUYING TOWN HOUSES
IN NEW YORK UNDER THEIR OWN
NAMES.
>> HUNDRED PERCENT.
LOOK, THESE ARE VERY COMPLEX
ARRANGEMENTS THEY PUT TOGETHER.
AND THEREFORE BREAD FOR THE
FLOOD BEFORE THE RATE.
THEY KNEW THAT THIS DAY WAS
COMING.
THEY HAVE THEIR LLCS IN PLACE.
THEY HAVE THEIR ACCOUNTS IN
PLACE, THEY HAVE THEIR FOREIGN
BANKS IN PLACE.
SO, I THINK IS GOING TO BE A
LOT OF WORK FOR THIS TEAM TO GO
THROUGH.
BUT I THINK THEY'VE BEEN
TRACKING THE STUFF FOR A WHILE.
I THINK THEY UNDERSTAND IT.
SO I THINK THEY'RE GOING TO BE
ABLE TO PUT SOME POINTS ON THE
BOARD PROPOSED TOO LATE.
>> HOW MUCH PRESSURE IS ON THE
BANKS TO COOPERATE WITH THEM?
>> THE BANKS OF A CHOICE YEAR.
--
>> OR DO THEY HAVE A CHOICE?
>> THEY DO.
ADAM SAID, VERY CLEARLY, HE
DOES NOW THE BUSINESS OF
GETTING THE BANKS OUT OF
BUSINESS.
HE HAS A BUSINESS OF GOING
THROUGH THEM AND SAYING, IF YOU
HAVE COMPLIANCE DEPARTMENTS, IF
YOU ARE DOING THE RIGHT THINGS
BY THE BANK SECRECY ACT, THAT
THE NEW YORK CUSTOMER.
DRIPPING ATTENTION TO YOUR
CORRESPONDENT BANKS, MAX AND
AUSTRALIA, LATVIA, SWEDEN, AN
IMPULSE NAMES OUT OF THE HOT.
PEOPLE WHO WATCH THE SNOW WHY I
CHOSE THOSE COUNTRIES.
IF YOU ARE PAYING ATTENTION TO
THOSE BANGS THAT YOU DO
BUSINESS WITH.
IF YOU ARE ACTUALLY PAYING
ATTENTION TO YOUR TRANSACTIONS
AND YOUR CUSTOMER.
YOU'RE GOING TO BE OKAY.
YOU'RE PROBABLY GOING TO BE
COOPERATIVE WITH.
US BUT THE DAYS, AND I ASKED
HIM, HERE IN A, EVIL SCENE OR
EVIL, DAYS, ARE THEY OVER?
HE SAID THEY ARE OVER.
AND HE SAID, IF YOU'RE GOING TO
BE SITTING THERE AND WATCHING
THE TRANSACTIONS AND NOT DO
YOUR JOB, YOUR POTENTIALLY ON
THE HOOK, HERE TOO.
>> IF YOUR BANK IS ANOTHER
COMPLIES APARTMENT, YOU PRETTY