Lester Joseph

Lester M. Joseph is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Sociology at George Washington University.  Since March 2010, he has been the International Investigations Manager at Wells Fargo Bank.  Prior to joining Wells Fargo, he worked for the U.S. Department of Justice from 1984 to February 2010.  From 2002-2010, he was the Principal Deputy Chief of the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section (AFMLS).  He was a Deputy Chief in the Section since October 1991.  During his tenure in AFMLS, the Section played a major role in several noteworthy money laundering investigations and prosecutions, including the investigations that resulted in the guilty pleas of Riggs Bank (2005) and E-Gold Ltd. (2008), and Deferred Prosecution Agreements with Credit Suisse (2009), Lloyds TSB Bank PLC (2009), Sigue Corporation (2008), Union Bank of California (2007), American Express Bank International (2007), BankAtlantic (2006), and Banco Popular de Puerto Rico (2003), based on criminal violations involving the Bank Secrecy Act or the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.  He began his career with the Department of Justice in 1984 as a Trial Attorney in the Organized Crime and Racketeering Section.  From 1981-1984, he was an Assistant State's Attorney in Cook County (Chicago), Illinois.