The West Coast Anti-Money Laundering Forum (WCAML) is a yearly conference that fosters a confidential and cooperative exchange of knowledge and ideas in the fight against money laundering, terrorist financing, and other financial crimes.

The West Coast Anti-Money Laundering Forum is attended by financial compliance professionals, federal and state regulators, law enforcement officers, and industry consultants.

The conference is planned and executed by a group of volunteers from a cross section of the financial industry and law enforcement. This group plans an agenda that covers current regulatory action and other emerging topics. They try to select a mix that appeals to the needs of both the financial industry and law enforcement. Among the most popular sessions are those where law enforcement representatives share stories of actual cases that resulted from SARs. The press is not invited to this conference so speakers and attendees can be candid in their remarks without fear of repercussion. Attendance is limited creating a relaxed and more intimate environment with lots of opportunity for networking. Because this conference is organized by volunteers and is not a profitable enterprise, attendance fees are always reasonable.

COVID-19 Policy

We will do our best to host a safe and compliant event by following state and local guidelines for large gatherings. If conditions should change for the worse, the WCAML Forum reserves the right to cancel the event or move it to an online forum. Credits, refunds, or partial refunds will be considered by the board at the time of such a decision.

Please note that WCAML Forum and the Marines’ Memorial Club follow San Francisco Department of Public Health Guidelines with respect to masking and vaccination. At this time, vaccination mandates for entry into event spaces and restaurants have been removed. No proof of vaccination is currently required, and masks may be worn at your discretion.

This guidance may change, so please check San Francisco City Government websites for more information.

Agenda

Wednesday, May 4, 2022

7:30 – 8:30 Registration & Continental Breakfast

8:30 – 9:00 Welcome

• Melissa Strait, Chair WCAMLF
• Susana Mendoza, Co-Chair WCAMLF
• Mark Pearson, IRS-CI
• Marines Memorial Staff

9:00 – 10:00 Keynote: Chip Poncy, K2 Integrity

10:00 – 10:15 Presentation of Banker Award, presented by Melissa Strait, Coinbase

10:15 – 10:30 Networking Break

10:30 – 11:30 Managing High Risk Clients: Evolution and Challenges

• Joe Robinson, Hummingbird, Moderator
• Lisa Lechner, Mercari
• Izabella Zhu, United Business Bank
• Phil Smith, Booking.com
• Shannon Eng, Coinbase

11:30 – 1:00 Lunch

1:00 – 2:00 Artful Dodgers: How Criminals Use Art and Antiquities to Facilitate Financial Crimes

• John Byrne, AMLRightSource, Moderator
• Liz Fraccaro, Antiquities Coalition
• Michael Loughnane, Loughnane Associates, LLC

2:00 – 2:15 Networking Break

2:15 – 3:30 Alphabet Soup: ESG, AML, FCC & Other TLAs

• Henry Engler, Thomson Reuters
• Mridula Madipakkam, Crowe LLP
• Monica Mak, Coinbase

3:30 – 4:30 Case Study: Bitcon: A Bitcoin Ponzi Scheme

• Maria Alvarez, IRS-CI
• Monica Hantz, FBI
• Carl Brooker, U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of California
• Kevin Lowell, Department of Justice

5:00 – 6:30 Hosted Networking Reception

Thursday, May 5, 2022

7:30 - 8:30 Continental Breakfast

8:30 – 9:30 Keynote, Sigal Mandelker, Ribbit Capital

9:30 – 10:45 Advancing Your AML Program Through Analytics

• Rex Holmes, Wyre - Moderator
• Lakshmi Ramesh, Crowe LLP
• Nick Caton, Banner Bank
• Maglio Muñoz, East West Bank

10:45 – 11:00 Networking Break

11:00 – 12:00 Law Enforcement Panel: Trends and Priorities in Financial and Financially Related Investigations

• Anthony Orlando, KPMG, Moderator
• Lloyd Farnham, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of California
• Darren Lian, IRS-CI
• Willie Lui, DEA
• Peter Sullivan, FBI

12:00 – 1:30 Lunch

1:30 - 2:30 Sanctions

• Gina Jurva, Moderator
• Irene Kenyon, FiveBy Solutions
• Jim Richards, Regtech Consulting
• Matthew Thomas, Thomson Reuters Special Services

2:30 – 2:45 Networking Break

2:45 – 3:45 Terrorist Threats to the U.S. Homeland in 2022, Dennis Lormel, DML Associates

3:45 – 4:00 Networking Break

4:00 – 5:00 CBP: Illicit Trade

• Erik Grotz, Customs and Border Protection
• Steven Tom, Customs and Border Protection

5:00 – 7:00 Hosted Networking Reception / Prize Drawings / MUST BE PRESENT TO WIN

Friday, May 6, 2022

7:30 – 8:30 Continental Breakfast

8:30 – 9:30 Topics in Human Trafficking from MIIS

• Moyara Ruehsen, Middlebury Institute of International Studies - Moderator
• Kayla Lightfoot, Middlebury Institute of International Studies
• Benjamin Croy, Middlebury Institute of International Studies

9:30 – 10:45 Cryptocurrencies Beyond Bitcoin: The New Realm of Crypto Businesses

• Jas Randhawa, Airwallex, Moderator
• Elena Highes , Gemini
• Darpan Khanna, Chime
• John Caruso, KPMG
• Amelia Childress, Block

10:45 – 11:00 Networking Break

11:00 – 12:00 Case Study:Operation Coin Laundry, Michael Lee, IRS-CI

12:00 – 12:30 Wrap-up & Adjournment / Final Prize Drawing / MUST BE PRESENT TO WIN

Select Topics:

• AML Trends & Best Practices
• Antiquities
• Cryptocurrency
• EDD
• ESG
• Homegrown Extremism
• Law Enforcement Feedback
• Leveraging Machine Learning in AML
• Sanctions
• + Case Studies

Hotel & Travel Information

The West Coast AML Forum has reserved a room block at the Marine’s Memorial Club. The room details are:

Guestrooms: $235 single / double occupancy.

These rates will be made available three days pre- and post-official event dates subject to availability. Please note that these rates do not include taxes currently totaling 16.43% (subject to change without notice).

In the event an individual reservation is canceled, notice of cancellation must be received no later than forty-eight (48) hours prior to arrival and a cancellation number is obtained. For cancellations received after the forty-eight hour period, the first night’s room and tax will be charged.

Guestrooms include the following at no extra charge:

• Complimentary Deluxe Continental Breakfast
• Complimentary Two Hour Happy Hour in our Rooftop Bar with panoramic views of San Francisco skyline
• Complimentary Wifi throughout the property
• Complimentary access to the Fitness Center, the Restaurant and the Library

Ways to Reserve

• Contact the MMC at 800-562-7463 or 415-673-6672. Ask for the West Coast Anti-Money Laundering Forum block
• Email reservation requests to reservations@marinesmemorial.org
• Visit the MMC website and click on the “Book a Stay” or “Make a Reservation” button. Enter offer code WCAMLF 2022
• Fax reservation requests to 415-441-3649

Booking Code

Ask for the WCAMLF 2022 room block code in order to receive the group rate.

If you are still in need of lodging, please contact us at info@wcamlforum.org.

Continuing Education

Attendees of the WCAML Forum will receive continuing education credits towards industry certifications. The number will be confirmed by WCAML prior to the event.

• CAMS credits: 12

Orders & Cancellation Policy

Cancellations received up to 30 days before the event will be issued a full refund. With the exception of cancellations related to COVID-19, cancellations received within 30 days of the event will not be issued a refund, but are eligible for a credit for future events. Registration may also be transferred to someone else in the same organization. If you need to cancel due to illness or suspected illness, that may be done until May 3, 2022 with no penalty.

Note that if you feel ill the day of the event or during the event, please stay home or return to your home or hotel. You can contact WCAML staff to discuss a credit for future events.

To obtain a credit for a future WCAML forum event, send an email to info@wcamlforum.org.

Paying by check?

We prefer payment by credit or debit card via the website. However, if your organization requires payment by check, please reach out to us at info@wcamlforum.org. If you pay by check, please make checks payable to "West Coast Anti-Money Laundering Forum".

Mail checks to:

West Coast Anti-Money Laundering Forum

74133 El Paseo, Suite 1

Palm Desert, CA 92260

Please include the name of the buyer on the check.