The Devil's Banker

CHRISTOPHER REICH DISCUSSES HIS INSPIRATION FOR THE DEVIL’S BANKER IN THE FOLLOWING ESSAY.

Follow the money… that’s the new slogan in the war against terrorism. The idea’s simple: One way to catch the bad guys is to track how and where they spend their money. The execution is a lot harder. With terrorism (unlike organized crime and narcotics trafficking), the culprits spend their money first and then commit the crime. Still, the theory is sound. If you can just follow the money, maybe you can prevent an act of terror from being committed.

The idea for The Devil’s Banker came to me in the first terrible days following 9/11. As I learned about the shadowy underground banking system called Hawala and the intricate manner in which Al Qaeda shifted their funds around the world, I grew determined to write a book about it.

Before turning to writing, I worked as an investment banker in Switzerland. Part of that time I spent as a private banker, basically catering to the whims and worries of a very rich clientele. It was nothing to see deposits and transfers among your clients of a couple of hundred million dollars… a day! Many of these individuals held numbered accounts. Whenever they called, they simply gave us the account number and instructed us what to do with their money. Most had never been obliged to provide their names, addresses, phone numbers, and the like. And while many bankers built up-close-and-personal relationships with their clients-going so far as to vacation at their homes in St. Tropez or accept rides in private jets to New York or Hong Kong-it was not unusual for some to have little idea with whom they were speaking. If you’ve read my first book, Numbered Account, you’ll know the kinds of trouble that can lead to.

The Devil’s Banker goes it a step further, looking at the problem from another side of the prism. Namely, how does a terrorist supremo finance his operations without drawing the attention of the law enforcement community? And how does a sharp U.S. Treasury agent find him, force him into the open, and nail him?

To conduct my research, I called on some friends at the Treasury Department and at Customs. I wanted to talk about one thing: terrorist finance. I guess one or two had actually read my books, because (to my amazement and everlasting gratitude) they rolled out the red carpet for me. Last April, I found myself jetting to Washington, D.C., to spend two weeks checking out our government’s newly constructed counterterrorism apparatus from the inside. You can read about what I saw in the new book, but let me summarize it in one word: absolutelyfrigginincredible! I would not want to be in the government’s crosshairs. Our law enforcement officers are whip smart, dedicated, and when need be, meanass muthas. It made me seriously reconsider my career path. These Americans were doing something positive for our country and for the world.

Oh, I did learn one other thing: Do not cheat on your taxes! Under the Patriot Act, all our enforcement agencies have finally been allowed to link their databases together. The IRS will find you. They will prosecute you. And you will pay!