On May 21, 2015, Perry Center Professor Celina Realuyo appeared before the US House of Representatives Committee on Financial Services, Task Force to Investigate Terrorist Financing, to testify as a subject matter expert on terrorist financing and the convergence of illicit networks. The hearing, titled “A Dangerous Nexus: Terrorism, Crime, and Corruption,” examined a broad spectrum of national security threats from illicit actors like ISIL, Hezbollah, the FARC, Venezuela, and Iran and discussed US counterterrorism finance and anti-money laundering endeavors to confront these threats. Professor Realuyo spoke on the critical enablers of terrorism and crime and the importance of “following the money trail” to detect, disrupt, and dismantle illicit networks, particularly in the case of ISIL in Iraq and Syria. She recommended more active interagency and international cooperation to leverage the financial instrument of national power to counter illicit networks.

Other testifying experts included:

• Dr. David Asher, Board Member, Center on Sanctions and Illicit Finance, Foundation for Defense of Democracies and Adjunct Senior Fellow, Center for a New American Security
• Mr. Richard Barrett, Senior Vice President, The Soufan Group
• Mr. Douglas Farah, President, IBI Consultants LLC; Senior Non-Resident Associate, Americas Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies and Senior Fellow, International Assessment and Strategy Center