The Banker Robber.docx
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The Banker Robber.docx
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TheBankerRobber
AfewdaysbeforeChristmasin2008,HervéFalcianiwasinameetingathisoffice,inGeneva,whenateamofpoliceofficersarrivedtoarresthim.Falciani,whowasthirty-six,workedforH.S.B.C.,thenthelargestbankintheworld.Hewasonthestaffofthecompany’sprivateSwissbank,whichservesclientswhoarewealthyenoughtoaffordtheminimumdeposit—halfamilliondollars—requiredtoopenanaccount.FalcianihadbeenatH.S.B.C.foreightyears,initiallyinMonacoandtheninGeneva.Hewasacomputertechnicianwhohelpedsupervisesecuritysystemsforthehandlingofclientdata.HehadgrownupinMonaco,whereasayoungmanhehadworkedasacroupierattheCasinodeMonte-Carlo,anddevelopedanexcellentpokerface.AstheSwisspoliceescortedhimfromthebuilding,heinsistedthathehaddonenothingwrong.
OfficersquestionedFalcianiatanearbystation.Theywereinvestigatingadatatheftfromthebank.Since1713,whentheGreatCouncilofGenevabannedbanksfromrevealingtheprivateinformationoftheircustomers,Switzerlandhadthrivedonitsreputationasastrongholdoffinancialsecrecy.Internationalélitescouldplacetheirfortunesbeyondthereachoftaxauthoritiesintheirowncountries.ForSwisswealthmanagers,whooversawmorethantwotrilliondollarsininternationaldeposits,thepromisetomaintainfinancialprivacywasakintoareligiousvowofsilence.Switzerlandisthehomeofthenumberedaccount:
customersoftenspecifythattheyprefernottoreceivestatements,inordertoavoidapapertrail.Inlightofthesesafeguards,thenotionofabreachatH.S.B.C.wasshocking.
PoliceofficialstoldFalcianithatsomeonecallinghimselfRubenal-Chidiakhadstolenclientdatafromthebank.Theyweren’tsurehowmuchinformationhadbeentakenorhowthethefthadbeenengineered.ButtheysuspectedthatChidiakwasapseudonym,andthattherealculpritwasFalciani.
Falcianitoldthepolicethathisjobwastoprotectdata:
Howcouldtheyaccusehimofcompromisingsuchinformation?
Asdarknessfell,heaskedtogohome.Hiswife,Simona,wouldbeworriedabouthim.Theinvestigatorsreleasedhim,butinstructedhimtoreturnforfurtherquestioningthenextmorning.
FalcianiwalkedthroughstreetsstrungwithChristmaslightstohisapartment,inadingybuildingontheRuedesMouettes.HeandSimonapackedafewbags,bundledtheirthree-year-olddaughter,Kim,againstthecold,andpreparedtofleethecountry.Despitehisprotests,Falcianihadstolenthedata.
WhentheFalcianiswalkedoutoftheirapartment,theyleftthekeysinthedoor.Falcianirentedacar,andtheydrovethroughtheAlps.Thenextmorning,asSwissinvestigatorsassembledatthepolicestationinGeneva,FalcianiwasapproachingtheSouthofFrance.HelefttherentalcarattheairportinNice.HiswifeanddaughterwentontoItaly,foravisitwithSimona’sfamily;Falcianitravelledtohisparents’home,inCastellar,ahilltownneartheFrench-Italianborder.
W.SomersetMaughamoncedescribedtheCôted’Azuras“asunnyplaceforshadypeople,”andFalciani,whowasnowafugitive,hunkereddowninCastellar.Asaprecaution,hehadnottravelledwiththestolendata,insteaduploadingtheinformationtoremoteservers.Henowdownloadedthefilesontohislaptop.TheSwisshadaskedFrenchauthoritiestohelptrackdownFalciani,andatdawnonJanuary7,2009,gendarmesraidedhisparents’house.TheprosecutorinNicewhohandledthecase,ÉricdeMontgolfier,toldmethatauthoritiesinSwitzerlandweresoeagertoseizeFalciani’scomputerthattheysentaSwissprosecutortoaccompanythegendarmes.
TheFrenchpolicearrestedFalcianiandseizedhisMacBookProandhisiPhone.ButwhenhewasoutofearshotoftheSwissprosecutor,onthewaytothepolicestationinnearbyMenton,hetoldthegendarmesthathiscomputercontainedinformationofpossibleinteresttotheFrenchstate:
names,accountnumbers,accountbalances.Theharddriveheldevidence,hesaid,of“taxevasioncommittedbyFrenchpeople.”FalcianihadobtainedsixtythousandfilesrelatingtotensofthousandsofH.S.B.C.clientsfromnearlyeverycountry.AnH.S.B.C.lawyerlaterdescribedFalciani’scrimeas“thelargestrobberyofabankevercommittedintheworld.”
Falciani’sflighttoFrancecoincidedwiththeonsetoftheglobalfinancialcrisis.Manycountrieswerescramblingtosecurerevenuesandcrackdownoncitizenswhosefortuneswerestashedinoffshoretaxhavens.Yearsbeforetheleak,thisApril,ofthePanamaPapers—acacheofdocumentsfromMossackFonseca,alawfirminPanamaCitythatspecializesinthecreationofanonymousshellcompanies—therewasampleevidencethattheglobalplutocracyhasmanyoutletsfordissimulationintherealmofpersonalfinance.“Onlythelittlepeoplepaytaxes,”thebillionaireLeonaHelmsleyonceremarked—toherhousekeeper.In1989,thehousekeeperrecountedtheexchangetoaNewYorkjury,andHelmsleyspenteighteenmonthsinprison.Mosttaxevasion,however,goesunpunished.
Accordingtoa2012studybyJamesHenry,aformerchiefeconomistatMcKinseywhonowadvisestheTaxJusticeNetwork,theworld’swealthiestpeoplesaltawayatleasttwenty-onetrilliondollarsbeyondthereachoftaxauthorities.Inabookpublishedlastyear,“TheHiddenWealthofNations,”theeconomistGabrielZucmanoffersalower,yetstillenormous,estimate:
$7.6trillion,oreightpercentoftheworld’spersonalfinancialwealth.Zucmancalculatesthat“thefraudperpetuatedthroughunreportedforeignaccountseachyearcostsabout$200billiontogovernmentsthroughouttheworld.”
ThedatathatFalcianistolecouldfunctionasatreasuremap,enablingacountrylikeFrancetorecoversomeofthatlostrevenue.Montgolfiersaid,“WhenyouhavesomanyFrenchpeoplewithSwissaccounts”—heraisedhiseyebrowsandhisshouldersinasynchronizedGallicshrug—“ithasaperfumeoffraud.”
TheSwissprosecutordemandedthatMontgolfierturnoverFalciani’slaptop,buthedemurred.“We’lllookatthecomputer,”hesaid.“Thenwe’lldecideifwereturnit.”TotheSwissgovernment,Falcianiwasmerelyathief,buttheFrenchsawhimdifferently.“Iwouldcharacterizehimasabitmessianic,”Montgolfiertoldme.“Therewasthecontextoftheworldcrisis,provokedbyfinanceandallthesebigbanksenablingtaxevasion,andthisguyjustwantedtosettheworldfreeofthosebehaviors.”InamemoirrecentlypublishedinEurope,“EarthquakeonPlanetFinance,”Falcianiwritesofhismotives:
“Iwantedadifferentworldformydaughter.Ididn’twanthertogrowupinarealitywheremoneyrules,wheretheabuseofpowerandtheconstantbypassingoftheruleswasthenorm.”
AsiftounderlinetheincendiaryimplicationsofFalciani’sdata,Montgolfierplacedthelaptopinasafe.WhileFrenchauthoritiesdeliberatedhowtoproceed,FalcianispentthenightinaholdingcellinMenton.Butthenextmorning,inagesturethatindicatedashiftinFalciani’sstatus,hisguardssurprisedhimwithcoffeeandcroissants.
WhenIfirstmetFalciani,onawinterdayatthePlaced’Italie,inParis,in2014,hehadbeenlivingunderpoliceprotection,fearfulthathislifewasendangeredbecauseoftheinformationhehadexposedaboutunscrupulousélites.Heoftentravelledwiththreebodyguards,whowereprovidedbytheFrenchstate,butwhenwemetFalcianiarrivedalone,onafold-upscooter.Hehadproposedacuriousvenueforourmeeting:
Hippopotamus,achainrestaurantthatcaterstoFrenchchildren,withacartoonmascotandcolorfulmenusfeaturinganarrayoftinysteakfrites.
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“I’dliketobuyafowl.”
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Falcianiorderedasliceofcheesecake.HewasdressedinthemannerofaTarantinoassassin:
whiteshirt,skinnyblacktie,aggressivelytailoredblacksuit.Heissoap-starhandsome,withadimpledchin,oliveskin,andwhatoneFrenchnewspaperdescribedas“acommercialsmile.”Hissideburnstaperedtoasliver.“Myfatherworkedinabank,”Falcianisaid,inaccentedEnglish.AsachildinMonaco,whichisoneofEurope’soldesttaxhavens,heoftenaccompaniedhisfathertoworkandmarvelledatthediscreetpoweroftheinstitution.Thebankwasimmaculate,andeverybodyspokeinhushedtones.ItremindedFalcianiofachurch.Afterbusinesshours,helikedtodashthroughthecarpetedhallways.
AsFalcianigrewolder,henoticedthattheflowofmoneyintoMonacowasaffectedbypoliticalevents.WhenwarravagedLebanonduringtheeighties,wealthyLebanesemovedtheirfamilies,andtheirfortunes,totheprincipality.WhenFrançoisMitterrandcametopowerinFrance,thecountry’saristocrats,fearfulofnewtaxes,stashedtheirmoneyinMonacanbanks.Sometimessuitcasesfilledwithcasharrivedfordeposit,andFalcianiwatchedhisfathercountthemoneybyhand.Thenamesofclientswerenevermentioned.
FalcianistudiedmathandphysicsattheUniversityofNice,thenbeganworkingintheCasinodeMonte-Carlo,initiallyonthegamingfloorandlaterinthecasino’sinternalbank,whichextendslinesofcredittowealthyclients.In2000,hejoinedH.S.B.C.Aroundthetimehestartedworkingthere,anemployeenamedStephenTroth,whohadhandledcelebrityclientsinMonaco,wasdiscoveredtohaveskimmedmillionsofdollarsfromtheiraccounts.“Itwasaverysimplescheme,”Falcianitoldme,addingthathehadfollowedthescandalclosely.Whenthefraudwasrevealed,theMonacobranchdeterminedthatitneededtoimprovethesecurityofitsinternalnetwork,andFalcianiwasoneoftheemployeeswhoworkedondevisingbettersystems.In2006,hewastransferredtotheprivatebankinGeneva,whereheundertookasimilarproject.Hewasexcitedaboutthisnewchallenge,
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