Follow the Money: Crimes Built on Shell Companies

By Sky Adler

Shell companies, nominee directors, offshore trusts, and layered transactions-these are the building blocks of global financial secrecy. Follow the Money: Crimes Built on Shell Companies is a guided tour through the hidden architectures that move trillions of dollars beyond the reach of regulators, tax authorities, and the public eye.

Drawing on documented cases, landmark investigations, and systemic reforms, this book traces how ordinary legal tools are repurposed for extraordinary concealment. From trade-based money laundering to art freeports, from prepaid fintech rails to offshore registries, each chapter explains the mechanics, the abuses, and the responses that have emerged. The result is a clear, fact-based narrative that demystifies the complex world of financial opacity without sacrificing detail or rigor.

Rather than speculation, the book presents verifiable patterns: how schemes are built, how they unravel, and how transparency initiatives are reshaping the landscape. It argues that the battle against secrecy is not about punishing commerce but about enabling it-because when beneficial ownership is knowable and rules are consistent, capital flows with greater confidence.

Follow the Money is both a map and a mirror: a map of the tools and loopholes that enable crime, and a mirror reflecting the progress-and unfinished work-of transparency. For policymakers, compliance professionals, journalists, and engaged readers alike, it is a definitive account of how the fight for financial integrity is being waged.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1923593366
• ISBN13: 9781923593367
• Release Date: September 2025
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 286 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"