A Nation for Thieves

Trillions of dollars derived from corruption are moved around the world every year. Justin Shenkarow sits down with FBI veteran Debra LaPrevotte, who has spent the last 25 years chasing down kleptocrats and corrupt officials all around the world. Debra single-handedly built the FBI’s Kleptocracy division from the ground up - tracking, tracing and seizing over one billion dollars worth of assets. She is one of the world’s leading anti-corruption experts. Debra’s career began at Quantico, the FBI’s prestigious training academy.A Nation for Thieves is a Lionsgate Sound podcast, engineered by Pilgrim Media. New episodes come out every Tuesday.Check out http://lionsgatesound.com for more.Listen to and follow Surviving El Chapo: The Twins Who Brought Down A Drug Lord: https://link.chtbl.com/survivingelchapo?sid=anft

Debra makes the jump from FBI field work to the investigation of corrupt foreign officials with the indictment of ex-Ukrainian Prime Minister Pavlo Lazarenko. Lazarenko amassed hundreds of millions of dollars despite only being in the office of Prime Minister for around a year. He used threats and extortion to illegally build his fortune. And he’s now living somewhere very close to home.A Nation for Thieves is a Lionsgate Sound podcast, engineered by Pilgrim Media. New episodes come out every Tuesday.Check out http://lionsgatesound.com for more.Listen to and follow Surviving El Chapo: The Twins Who Brought Down A Drug Lord: https://link.chtbl.com/survivingelchapo?sid=anft Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Debra’s next case takes her to Nigeria, once considered the most corrupt country in the world. While we all know of the ‘Nigerian Prince’ scam, Debra focuses on the former President, General Sani Abacha. Through her work, Debra meets Lanre Suraju, chairman of the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) Resource Center.A Nation for Thieves is a Lionsgate Sound podcast, engineered by Pilgrim Media. New episodes come out every Tuesday.Check out http://lionsgatesound.com for more.Listen to and follow Surviving El Chapo: The Twins Who Brought Down A Drug Lord: https://link.chtbl.com/survivingelchapo?sid=anft

Lanre Suraju tells of the immense danger anti-corruption activists face, recalling how armed men invaded his home and threatened his family. Investigations in Nigeria introduce Debra to her counterpart at Scotland Yard, Jonathan Benton (sometimes referred to as the real-life James Bond).A Nation for Thieves is a Lionsgate Sound podcast, engineered by Pilgrim Media. New episodes come out every Tuesday.Check out http://lionsgatesound.com for more.Listen to and follow Surviving El Chapo: The Twins Who Brought Down A Drug Lord: https://link.chtbl.com/survivingelchapo?sid=anft

Debra recalls the stress of the September 11 terror attacks and the FBI’s monumental investigative role. She gets a phone call from the government of Bangladesh asking for assistance in tackling corruption in the country and heads out to begin investigating. She meets foreign correspondent and Emmy-award nominee, David Montero.A Nation for Thieves is a Lionsgate Sound podcast, engineered by Pilgrim Media. New episodes come out every Tuesday.Check out http://lionsgatesound.com for more.Listen to and follow Surviving El Chapo: The Twins Who Brought Down A Drug Lord: https://link.chtbl.com/survivingelchapo?sid=anft

Debra details how corrupt money from overseas ends up funding lavish parties, and even Hollywood movies. She is called to testify in Bangladesh about her investigation into corruption in the country. You can find pictures of Debra at the Bangladesh courthouse and her ‘15 minutes of Lindsay Lohan’ at http://lionsgatesound.comA Nation for Thieves is a Lionsgate Sound podcast, engineered by Pilgrim Media. New episodes come out every Tuesday.Listen to and follow Surviving El Chapo: The Twins Who Brought Down A Drug Lord: https://link.chtbl.com/survivingelchapo?sid=anft