Participants are part of a yearlong fellowship through Treasury's Terrorist Financing Targeting Center Date: September 18, 2023 Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov WASHINGTON — Combating tax crime is the bread and butter of IRS Criminal Investigation's (CI) mission, but the agency's expertise in following the money trail plays an integral role in combating a host of other crimes like terrorism financing. As part of its mission to combat broader financial crimes, CI will deliver training to nearly 40 representatives from six Gulf countries in Washington, D.C., the week of Sept. 20, on how to counter terrorism using financial investigative tools. The representatives are participants in a yearlong fellowship through the U.S. Department of Treasury's Terrorist Financing Targeting Center (TFTC). "This is the first time CI has participated in training fellowship participants, and we hope the information we share will combat the flow of money to and within terrorist organizations," said CI Chief Jim Lee. "Without financing, terrorist organizations can't continue their wrath of terror." As part of the training, CI special agents will provide an overview of the agency and the financial crimes they investigate, indicators that investigators should be aware of, background on the movement of illicit funds via digital assets, and how CI works with foreign nations on international investigations, especially those involving narcotics, national security and professional enablers. This is not the first time CI special agents have used their financial expertise to counter terrorism. In 2020, CI special agents dismantled three cyber-enabled financing campaigns for terrorist organizations for Hamas' military wing called Al-Qassam Brigades, Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS). Each organization used cryptocurrency and social media to garner attention and raise funds for their terror campaigns. Pursuant to judicially authorized warrants, U.S. authorities seized millions of dollars, over 300 cryptocurrency wallets, four websites, and four Facebook pages all related to the criminal enterprise, representing the government's largest-ever seizure of cryptocurrency supporting terrorism. The TFTC was created in 2017 to enhance multilateral efforts among the United States and the Gulf countries of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Each year, six individuals from each participating country participate in a yearlong fellowship on counterterrorism financing. As part of the fellowship, the team travels to Washington, D.C. for a week of briefings from various U.S. federal agencies at the Department of Treasury, the Department of State and the Department of Justice. CI's regional attaché post, located at the U.S. consulate in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, works with foreign governments to build partnerships, train law enforcement counterparts, and investigate financial crimes throughout the Middle East. The post has been instrumental in supporting the NFTC fellowship program. CI is the criminal investigative arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money-laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. CI special agents are the only federal law enforcement agents with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code, obtaining a more than a 90% federal conviction rate. The agency has 20 field offices located across the U.S. and 12 attaché posts abroad.
