Digital Commons Network^™

Money Laundering By Politically Exposed Persons In Nigeria: Consequences And Combative Measures, Ike Onyiliogwu

Economic Crime Forensics Capstones

The Capstone Project will focus on money laundering in Nigeria by Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) and the devastating negative impact on Nigeria’s progress as well as various measures that could combat it.

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) defines money laundering as the processing of “ Criminal proceeds to disguise their illegal origin.” And PEPs as “someone who has been entrusted with a public function.” (FATF, 2018). The Nigerian government has adopted the term, “politically exposed persons” to include senior politicians and senior government officials as well as their immediate family.

According to Nigeria’s president, Muhammadu Buhari, $150 billion was …

Investigating Physicians Billing For Services Not Rendered: Fraud Detection, Interviewing And Referral To Law Enforcement, Glenn Forte Jr.

Economic Crime Forensics Capstones

This qualitative study examines the role of healthcare insurance investigators related to medical fraud among physicians billing for services not rendered. Grounded in academic scholarship, industry case studies and first-hand knowledge, this study introduces methods identifying fraudulent activities, fraud detection practices and implications from discovering fraud among physicians, patients, and health insurance companies. The three types of methodologies employed provide a lens into determining misappropriation of healthcare insurance and patient monetary funds.

Healthcare fraud falls within the arena of white-collar crime. It consists of filing dishonest healthcare claims to receive a profit. Fraudulent healthcare schemes come in many forms. The …

Understanding The Importance Of Ferpa & Data Protection In Higher Education. An Application: Website At La Salle University, Robert Frank, Lynne Wagner

Mathematics and Computer Science Capstones

Personal data protection is a paramount conversation globally. The higher education industry is abundant in varying types of highly sensitive information; the security of this data is critical, requiring all stakeholders be educated and aware of the standards and best practice securing it. This project’s main outcome is to conduct in-depth research on personal data protection regulations within higher education and the development of an example educational webpage for the La Salle University community relating to policy, practice, and procedures of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

The Mission of La Salle University affirms a community commitment to …

A Model For The Role Of Information Technology Leaders In Disaster Recovery Planning And Organizational Resilience, Varun Vuppala, Rasoola Tyler

Mathematics and Computer Science Capstones

Natural and man-made disasters in the past several years have resulted in millions in damages and losses. Despite this, disaster recovery is often not considered by boards as a priority. This paper will detail the current research on organizational resilience in relation to disaster recovery. It will cover the best practices for IT leaders to prepare for disasters and make their organizations more resilient. It will also show how IT leaders can work to convince their boards to invest in disaster recovery planning and how they can build organizational resilience culture in their organizations through a structured organizational culture change …

Security Management For Mobile Devices Of Higher Education, Kala Battle

Mathematics and Computer Science Capstones

Mobile learning has made a major impact on the security of Learning Management Systems (LMS) in higher education. The advancements in mobile technology have made mobile learning one of the top trending topics regarding education and technology. Students appreciate the convenience and flexibility that mobile learning offers. However, there is an added concern with the security in mobile learning. Instructors and students have little say in what software will be used in mobile learning. This paper will address the issues surrounding security management in LMS platforms, the basics of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and the best …

Rcon Administration Tool Designed For Use With Garry’S Mod And Source Servers, John Gibbons

Mathematics and Computer Science Capstones

The proposed project is an Android application designed to interact with the Source RCON protocol. Defined below: The Source RCON Protocol is a TCP/IP-based communication protocol used by Source Dedicated Server, which allows console commands to be issued to the server via a "remote console", or RCON. The most common use of RCON is to allow server owners to control their game servers without direct access to the machine the server is running on. In order for commands to be accepted, the connection must first be authenticated using the server's RCON password, which can be set using the console variablercon_password.

Beneficial Ownership: Tracking The True Owners Of Business Accounts, Angela Lintag-Ihde

Economic Crime Forensics Capstones

Bank accounts are a popular place to hide and move illegal funds. Many banks offer private banking or wealth management services, to customers with more than $1,000,000. That provides premier banking services as well as a confidential, safe, and legal haven. With these services is a heightened money laundering risk. The Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) of Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering (BSA/AML) Examination Manual specifically states that privacy and confidentiality are important elements of private banking relationships. “Private Banking and Wealth Management services are vulnerable to money laundering schemes that include: private bankers as client advocates; powerful clients including …

Equitable Sharing Aids Circumventing State Civil Asset Forfeiture, Ella Fisher

Economic Crime Forensics Capstones

Civil Asset Forfeiture (CIVIL ASSET FORFEITURE) is a disputable law enforcement asset utilized to combat the war on drugs and criticized as an abusive practice. Are law enforcement agencies really combatting the war on drugs using civil asset forfeiture law or just using the law for their own self interests? Civil Asset Forfeiture abuse relates to perverse incentives which are further aided by the federal equitable sharing program (ESP). Civil asset forfeiture law allows owners’ assets to be seized and forfeited, by law enforcement agencies without a warrant and/or a criminal conviction. When federal agencies adopt and prosecute, state and …

A Close Look At Audit Standards And Best Practices How To Validate The Existence Of An Asset, Luis Lebron

Economic Crime Forensics Capstones

A comparative analysis will be conducted seeking to identify how to obtain sufficient evidence to determine the existence of an asset within an organization during an independent audit. The external auditor is often regarded as the “gatekeeper” of the financial markets which has a fiduciary duty to its clients. (Choy, Fields, & King, 2008) Accounting firms are required by operation of law to act in an ethical manner and have a social responsibility to protect the interest of the public. However, there exists an ongoing issue in the performance of audits by larger firms. In a recent study conducted by …

Theme Park Fraud And How To Catch It, Lilly Lask

Economic Crime Forensics Capstones

One of the most significant, if not the most important financial difficulty facing theme parks today is credit card fraud and the use of counterfeit money by individuals to improperly obtain theme park tickets. The tickets are then used by the fraudsters themselves, or sold or otherwise distributed to guests of the parks. The improper use of the tickets significantly impacts the income of the parks. In order to continue to appropriately manage the parks after the losses, ticket prices need to be raised, which generally leads to a reduction in the valid revenue of the parks as they become …

Investigative Practices For Large Money Laundering Crimes, Mary Hutley-Washington

Economic Crime Forensics Capstones

Reportedly, governments, states departments, analysts and law enforcement state, "money laundering has a corrosive effect on a country’s economy. The degree of destruction caused by money laundering interrupts the business flow, runs the risk of financial burdens on banks, and ruins countless countries’ reputation for allowing widespread laundering. Money laundering’s significant consequences are the exposure to the communities; because of the criminal elements individuals are subjected to laundering, i.e., fraud, drug trafficking, and other financial crimes” (Freeman, 2011). It is no surprise that internationally all communities want the battle against money laundering and its use to finance terrorism to become …

Echoes In The Depths Of Conscience: The Story Of Moral Injury In The Context Of War, William Barbee

Th.D. Dissertations

During the latter part of the last decade, mental health professionals working with war veterans began to realize that some of their patients were dealing with something more than complex PTSD. Awareness of a type of wound known as moral injury came from observations in the field of PTSD in war veterans and active duty personnel. In five chapters this dissertation approaches moral injury by drawing on the stories of the Christian tradition.

The first chapter tells the story of moral injury. This chapter discusses guilt, shame, suicide, and responses to moral injury. Next, it discusses the issue of identity, …

Exploring Cross-Sex Friendships As A Means To Understanding Friendships Between Former Romantic Partners, Rachel Piecyk

HON499 projects

This research project examines cross-sex friendships. First, I will describe the research associated with friendship. This body of research discusses maintenance of, motivations for, and intimacy levels in both same-sex and cross-sex friendships. Next, I will examine heterosexual romantic relationships and expectations that characterize this type of relationship. Finally, I will describe existing research on friendships between former romantic partners.

The goal of the research is to look more in depth at a specific kind of cross-sex friendship: friendships between former romantic partners. While most research on friendships between former romantic partners studies the likelihood of the friendship, there is …

X-Inefficiency In Monopolies, Emily Nowlan

HON499 projects

This paper takes a case study approach to studying the efficiency and causes of decline for monopoly firms. The focus of the analysis will be on two firms: IBM, and Xerox. The main causes of failure studied will be financial issues, mismanagement, and regulatory cases. One theory is that, as monopolies operate, one begins to see a differential between growth of profits and expenditures. Thus, the firms become “fat and slow.” The company may also become bogged down with overhead, attempting to maintain unsustainable and unnecessary levels of employment. Compounding this issue, many managers fail to accurately predict the movement …

Association Of Vasp Polymorphisms And Infectious Disease Burden In Global Populations And Identification Of Candidate Resistance Haplotypes In Sub-Saharan Africa, Melinda Phun, Blake Rosenn, Danny Glenn, Dhanushi Rupasinghe, James Church, David Zuzga, Shaohua Fan, Sarah Tishkoff

HON499 projects

Enteric pathogens employ numerous strategies to breach the intestinal epithelial barrier. One critical target of these pathogens is the host cell cytoskeleton. Pathogens may induce cytoskeletal remodeling to disrupt tight junctions and increase the permeability of the epithelium to gain access to underlying tissue. Alternatively, the cytoskeletal machinery may be directly co-opted to facilitate the attachment, invasion, or intracellular motility of these pathogens. The vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) is a processive actin polymerase that induces membrane remodeling through the polymerization of actin cytoskeletal filaments. Interestingly, VASP is regulated by a variety of pathogens to induce cytoskeletal remodeling in host cells. If …

"I'S Not So Wicked As I Use To Was:" The Interplay Of Race And Dignity In Nineteenth-Century American Drama And Blackface Minstrelsy, Sam Volosky

HON499 projects

Blackface was an extremely popular and pervasive performance type unique to nineteenth century American performance. For years, the black characters of Uncle Tom’s Cabin and The Octoroon were played by white actors in blackface makeup whereas mixed-raced characters were presented as white. These two plays, each having played a role in affecting public opinion toward slavery, do not stand out from the tradition of blackface minstrelsy and, subsequently, take part in subjugating black entertainers in the realm of theatre as well as society. The playwrights borrowed conventions of contemporary theatrical performance in order to cater to the tastes of their …

Stress & Dance, Christian Franco

HON499 projects

Stress is an extensive term that encompasses a wide range of theories and studies done to look deeper into the meaning of stress. Stress in various occupations has been looked at extensively as well, as workers in one specific profession seem to be very much affected by stress: professional dancers. This paper is split into two parts. The first looks at the definition(s) of stress, such as that of Seyle and Lazarus and Folkman, the different types of stress like eustress and distress, causes and symptoms of stress like daily hassles and physiological and psychological symptoms, ways to cope with …

Quantum Roaming Dynamics On Model Double Morse And Ion-Molecule Potentials, Luke O'Connor

HON499 projects

The quantum dynamics on a pair of model two dimensional potential energy surfaces is studied using time-independent and wave packet analyses. The first potential is a reduced dimensional model of an ion-dipole reaction and the second is a planar double Morse potential. Both potentials have been of recent interest in characterizing the roaming reaction mechanism using classical dynamics. Roaming resonance states related to the classically observed roaming dynamics are isolated, and quantum signatures of roaming on these potentials are discussed. The effects of the shape of the double Morse potential on the quantum dynamics are also considered.

Mysticism And Its Curative Powers For Emotionally Impaired Athletes, Chadwick Fionn Carlton Thd

Th.D. Dissertations

The National Football League (NFL) has been encumbered with a plethora of brain injury cases due to the incidence of on-field acute linear impact, ostensibly sustained by its participants. According to medical examiner, Dr. Bennett Omalu, these occurrences have spawned the onset of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease, which may be the catalyst to discursive tendencies that are redolent to the occupation of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anxiety, aggression, and reclusion. Since the majority of professional football players originate from socially violent contexts, such as Miami, Los Angeles, Detroit, Dallas, and Houston, however, it is conceivable …