Book review: Demythologizing money laundering, demystifying AML compliance

Money laundering has been a fixture of Hollywood writers for years. Its covert and slippery nature makes for a thrilling ride, and any theatrical glimpses into the high-stakes underworld of financial crime are catnip to the average rubbernecking viewer.

When A-list actors like Meryl Streep take roles in films like “The Laundromat,” people sit up and watch. Entertainment media has helped familiarize the mainstream with the concept of money laundering, however glamorized.

Yet, while television shows like “Ozark” and “Breaking Bad” might have launched a thousand armchair experts on the topic, the fact is “most would be hard-pressed to accurately define money laundering, much less explain how or even why it’s done,” argues Ola Tucker, a compliance professional and author. This state of affairs is perhaps, in part, why she wrote a book that does exactly that.