The First Billion

A: The new book is presently titled BLOOD MONEY, and it deals with our government's efforts to root out terrorist financing. The story concerns an elite team of financial investigators, members of the Foreign Terrorist Asset Tracking Team (FTAT), and their quest to hunt down a shadowy figure known as the Director before he can perpetrate a terrorist act on American soil. I drew a lot of the story from my research in the area. The work being done in Washington, and in concert with our allies, is as fascinating as it is urgent. Stop the money and you stop the acts. But first you have to find the money, and it's not as easy as you might think. On the plus side, our government has earmarked a lot of money for the task. I was in D.C. earlier this year and had the honor of meeting professionals at the Financial Crime Enforcement Network, Customs, the IRS, and the Treasury Department. I'll tell you one thing: I wouldn't want to be the bad guys. Make no mistake; we are going to nail them.

Christopher Reich

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