ACAMS Today Magazine (March-May 2011) Vol. 10 No. 2 | Page 76

KNOW YOUR CHAPTER Launch of the Edmonton ACAMS Sub-Chapter (part of the ACAMS Canada Chapter) A nti-money laundering (AML) specialists from the Edmonton area and one member from the Calgary ACAMS regional working group ventured out on probably one of the coldest days this year to attend the first ACAMS Sub-Chapter event held at the Amber’s Brewing Company. Despite one of the heaters not working, everyone enjoyed networking with other AML specialists. Insight” tool, the brew master’s stories about money laundering in the bar industry and corruption in government, as well as the opportunity to taste different kinds of beer. We have received favorable feedback about the event and we are planning our next event for February/March 2011. The evening involved a short presentation by our event sponsor, Brad Chafer, account executive western region, from Lexis Nexis. The presentation focused on the Bridger Insight XG client identity management solution which is designed to assist with meeting AML compliance. Lexis Nexis was very generous in their promotional sponsorship which included giving away three copies of A Guide to Canadian Money Laundering Legislation, authored by Terence D. Hall. Following the presentation by Lexis Nexis there was a tour of the brewery and a beer tasting. The event went very well, everyone seemed to enjoy learning about the “Bridger Carolinas Chapter T he Carolinas Chapter returned to the Queen City for its first meeting of 2011. Bank of America in Charlotte was the site this time as chapter chair, Bill Fox welcomed executive associate director of Homeland Security Investigations, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, James Dinkins. Dinkins, who leads the second largest criminal investigative agency in the United States, spoke to the group about ICE’s mission and more specifically the growing problem of human smuggling and human trafficking and the role AML initiatives play in detecting and deterring this tragic crime. Dinkins shared statistics and 76 case studies of traffickers victimizing illegal aliens, women and young children and the public/private partnerships that in many cases are responsible for bringing these people to justice. Over 100 chapter members were in attendance to hear the presentation and provide their insight into AML trends in this field. “Human trafficking and its financial and societal costs cannot be ignored by financial institutions and ACAMS is providing a valuable resource in educating AML professionals in helping combat this crime,” said newly appointed chapter co-chair Rob Goldfinger. ACAMS.ORG | MARCH–MAY 2011 | ACAMS TODAY We look forward to more great events coming from the Carolinas Chapter in the coming months as we bring more quality training and networking events to the region. For more information on the ACAMS Carolinas Chapter, please contact Rob Goldfinger at [email protected]. Or, to find out how to get involved with this or any other chapter please contact Kata Martinez, ACAMS’ chapter development manager, at [email protected] Please visit the Carolina Chapter’s webpage at http://www.acams.org/Chapters/Carolinas. aspx.