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.

Aly McDevitt is Data & Research Journalist at Compliance Week. She has a background in education and college consulting. Prior to teaching, she was an editor/author at Thomson Reuters, where she reported...