Let’s say you frequent Louis Vuitton so much that even the salespeople become accomplices. Prosecutors say that’s what happened when a woman identified only as “Bei W.” bought luxury goods in cash, always just under the suspicious-activity threshold, to launder nearly $3.5 million.
When items matching her spending limit arrived, she was notified by an insider, then shipped them straight to Hong Kong and China—an upscale cover for dirty cash. Authorities are looking into Louis Vuitton Netherlands for possibly turning a blind eye to the shopping spree. Designer handbags might not just hold your credit cards—but also a lot of dirty secrets.
In Context: The $99 million luxury wine scam that fooled over 100 investors.
