Financial Transparency Coalition

WASHINGTON DC - Today, the Southern District of New York sentenced Viktor Bout, also known as the Merchant of Death, to 25 years in prison, finally putting an end to his notorious career as a weapons trafficker. In November of last year, a jury convicted Bout on terrorism charges, including conspiring to kill Americans and conspiring to provide material support to terrorists.

The Economist came out today with two great investigative articles on shell corporations. Shell, or anonymous, corporate structures are used to do business without the real actor behind the activity being known. While we usually associated shell corporations with, to quote one of the articles, "sunny places for shady business", the reality is that the United States and the United Kingdom are some of the world's worst offenders. Cottage industries have developed in many of the U.S. states where incorporation is easiest.

The March edition of Taxcast, a podcast by Tax Justice Network

The Task Force's Nick Mathiason, writing for the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, reported on the asset seizure claim by Libya against the son of the former Libyan dictator.