Casey Michel’s "American Kleptocracy" pulls back the curtain on a disturbing yet crucially overlooked topic: the United States as a global hub for money laundering and financial secrecy. In this meticulously researched exposé, Michel connects dots that reveal how the U.S. transformed from a purported anti-corruption leader into the epicenter of global offshoring, where dictators, oligarchs, and crooks funnel their ill-gotten gains to keep their wealth safe—and largely untouchable.

The book wastes no time in demonstrating the sheer scale of America’s complicity in enabling kleptocratic regimes. Michel explains how states like Delaware and Nevada have become havens for anonymous shell companies that launder billions of dollars. These mechanisms allow corrupt leaders from countries such as Equatorial Guinea, Ukraine, and Russia to stash stolen assets, often at the expense of their citizens, while simultaneously undermining global anti-corruption efforts.

Michel also introduces readers to the architects of this system—lawyers, lobbyists, and enablers—who profit handsomely while turning a blind eye to their clients’ atrocities. One of the most sobering aspects of "American Kleptocracy" is its demonstration of how these shadowy financial activities seep into everyday American life, from property markets to cultural institutions, even causing financial harm to middle-class workers and communities.

I was really impressed by Michel’s ability to distill a complex, jargon-laden topic into something both accessible and engaging. His narrative is fast-paced and peppered with jaw-dropping examples of corruption and complicity, from African despots buying Michael Jackson memorabilia to oligarchs inflating real estate bubbles in America’s heartland.

However, Michel doesn't just dwell on the problem—he also explores the growing anti-kleptocracy movement. The book champions reforms and highlights advocates working to reclaim America’s reputation as a leader in transparency and accountability. If you’ve ever wondered how dirty money shapes the world—and what we can do about it—this book offers both the answers and the tools to start making a difference.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

This book covers a very important subject matter that's really not talked enough about in today's media. The book is very well researched and covers a lot of ground in a succinct and well-written way.

When people think of off-shore money havens, they usually think of places like the Caymans. But, in fact, as author Casey Michel shows in his book, American Kleptocracy, the US has become one of the world’s biggest and most popular places for off-shore tax havens and money laundering.

In this well-wriitten, well-documented, and surprisingly readable book, he describes the history of the rise of US offshore havens from its start in states like New Jersey to its rapid spread to other states who saw all the money rolling in and wanted in on it. She also introduces us to some of the people offering this ‘service’ and those taking advantage of it’ from African despots to Russian oligarchs. A truly eye-opening book.

<i>Thanks to Netgallet and St Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review</i>

An eye opening debut Casey Michel leaves no stone unturned in her investigation into corrupt off shore money schemes.There is so much going on things the average person would no nothing about without dogged investigators like this author.Highly recommend.#netgalley #st.Martins

3 stars
Absolutely outrageous! You will learn everything you wanted to now about money, corruption and more in this book.

How the U.S. Created the WORLD’S GREATEST MONEY LAUNDERING SCHEME in HISTORY

Casey Michel shows us the world of illicit offshore money schemes.

American Kleptocracy looks at how the United States morphed into the center of global money offshoring.

Our country has been at the center of this illicit game for far too long. While our leaders decry corrupt regimes around the world, we are happy to take their money.

If you want to start your own shell company go to Delaware. Or Nevada. Delaware will let literally anyone set up a virtual shop. Having managed property for a long time, most of my owner’s companies are LLCs in Delaware. A state they don’t live in. Soviet Oligarchs, African despots, the worst of the worst store their money here while their own people starve. And when Trump came along it was a marriage made in greed. Restrictions were released. Laws made it easier to launder and hide money.

Do we really know how much of our own country is owned by outsiders? Shocking.

This was an excellent book that taught me a few new things. The author has a way of breaking down a rather large topic and just saying, “Hey, this is what is going on!”. He also talks about how our new President could proceed.

Very well researched and written, this was a great read.

NetGalley/November 16th, 2021, St. Martin’s Press

I found this book interesting and also frustrating. It leans more to one side I feel, even with a lot of information being out there. It’s hard for me to write a review so I encourage others to read and form their own opinions.

American Kleptocracy by Casey Michel is an interesting and timely book describing who and how money is moved about globally. What is frustrating and disturbing to learn is although most of the money is not stolen in the US, much of it is transferred into the US where it goes from dirty to clean money legally! Mr. Michel is an Adjunct Fellow for the Hudson Institute’s Kleptocracy Initiative, and has contributed research pertaining to offshoring, illicit finance, and foreign interference to the German Marshall Fund, the Human Rights Foundation, as well as others.
The money flows into the US with the assistance of US lawyers and set up in shell companies mainly in Delaware, South Dakota and Nevada, three states that have made it possible to set up an Anonymous Shell Company in less than one hour. Some of the people described with vast sums of stolen money meaning over 1 billion dollars are from Equatorial Guinea and Ukraine. In the case of Teodore Obiang now VP of Equatorial Guinea who among ways to “wash” his money bought up all the Michael Jackson items including the famous glove. In this case the harm is mainly to the people of Equatorial Guinea who have lost much of the revenue that could be used to make the country more livable. In the case of Ukraine, the oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky not only ransacked the Ukraine economy he and his cohorts purchase steel mills and office buildings in middle America which they ran into the ground but as Michel explains the money is now free and beyond the grasp of Ukraine while at the same time causing massive financial pain to hard working middle class Americans. So the key point is it does impact the US and at this point we do not know how large this problem may be since all the money and who it belongs to is still hidden.
I believe this is an excellent book to begin to understand this issue and problem for America. It is well written without technical jargon and will make you a bit more informed about an important issue for America.

Another presentation of a well-tread story. Similar to last year’s Kleptopia. I agree with the earlier reviewer that the author veers too far into political opinion re: Obama and Biden administration which undermines credibility a bit.

This book details how extremely rich oligarchs from Africa, eastern Europe, or the middle east, often launder their ill-gotten gains through American institutions. Anyone familiar with TV series such as Ozark or Billions will be familiar with such schemes. Unfortunately these are not fiction, but are all too true. The book also details some of the laws that have been put into place to help combat this money laundering, usually without a lot of success.
Towards the last part of the book, the author details real estate activities of Donald Trump and characterizes him as similar to the other individuals described in this book. I am not sure about whether all of this is true or not, but the author takes some of his credibility away by lauding the Obama regime and talking about the "wonderful" changes that will be occurring under now-President Biden. Unfortunately the fact that Joe Biden is compromised with Russia, China and the Ukraine because of the dealings of his son Hunter is ignored. This book identifies a real problem, but the solutions the author proposes are not realistic .I received a complementary copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.