Abstract

Despite a pervasive anti-money laundering regime worldwide and growing media attention, the scant academic attention on the threat side of money laundering has led to an insufficient understanding of the actors, processes, and behaviors involved. Existing empirical studies show that money launderers are not a set of unitary and homogenous actors. However, criminological literature still lacks a systematic analysis that links distinct types of offenders with specific practices for money laundering. To address this knowledge gap, the present study analyzes 348 money laundering investigations conducted by Italian law enforcement agencies over the period 2016–2022 by the means of a multiple correspondence analysis. Italian mafias tend to launder illicit proceeds by integrating them into the legitimate economy, whereas foreign organized crime groups often favor schemes that operate independently of the financial system. Concurrently, other organized crime groups operating in Italy, as well as non-organized crime offenders, exhibit a broader spectrum of laundering behaviors. The study concludes by discussing implications for both research and policy.

中文翻译：

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迷失在迷宫中：理清洗钱行为的多样性

摘要

尽管反洗钱制度在全球范围内普遍存在并且媒体关注度不断提高，但学术界对洗钱威胁方面的关注却很少，导致对所涉及的参与者、流程和行为的了解不足。现有的实证研究表明，洗钱者并不是一组单一且同质的行为者。然而，犯罪学文献仍然缺乏将不同类型的犯罪者与洗钱的具体做法联系起来的系统分析。为了解决这一知识差距，本研究通过多重对应分析的方式分析了意大利执法机构在 2016 年至 2022 年期间进行的 348 起洗钱调查。意大利黑手党倾向于通过将非法收入纳入合法经济来洗钱，而外国有组织犯罪集团则往往青睐独立于金融体系运作的计划。与此同时，在意大利活动的其他有组织犯罪集团以及无组织犯罪分子也表现出更广泛的洗钱行为。该研究最后讨论了对研究和政策的影响。