The Center for Advanced Defense Studies

The newest generation of illicit actors are inter-connected, globalized, and technologically savvy. Nuclear proliferators maintain complex webs of proxies and shell companies, while pariah states use similar networks to arm and equip their surrogates around the world. Meanwhile, international terrorist organizations and other perpetrators of mass atrocities operate multi-billion dollar commercial empires with global reach, funneling proceeds through Western jurisdictions.

C4ADS uses open data from global business directories, tax registries, property listings, court documents, intellectual property records, and trade gazettes from over 120 jurisdictions around the world. We structure and analyze this data to map and expose illicit networks around the world. Current focus areas include investigating Human Trafficking, DPRK Overseas Procurement Networks, and Latin American Corruption.

The theft and capture of state resources and public funds by political, military, and business elites is a principal driver of state instability, particularly in fragile states where corruption and violence are intertwined. Networks of well-connected elites exploit weak legal regimes, vulnerable state institutions, and poor enforcement capacity to capture revenue-rich economic sectors for personal gain. These proceeds are concealed in opaque corporate holdings and laundered through offshore jurisdictions in the form of property, corporate shares, and networks of profit-earning enterprises.

C4ADS’ Kleptocracy Cell works to unravel and expose networks of corrupt elites while generating insights that accelerate enforcement action by government entities, banking and financial institutions, and international enforcement agencies. We rely on high-advantage open data to support enforcement actions, enhance transparency, and expand public awareness on the networks that enable violent kleptocracies across East and Central Africa, as well as the Horn and the greater Middle East and North Africa.