Rijock made his remarks at the Association of Certified Fraud Examiner's 11th Annual Fraud Conference, which is being held this week in New York.

From 1980 to 1990, Rijock helped launder millions of dollars for drug smugglers. It was an elaborate and highly structured scheme, and for years he was nearly untouchable. But when a client of Rijock's gave his name to officials in trade for a lesser sentence, the well-oiled scheme came to a screeching halt, said Rijock.

Rijock, who now spends his time consulting with law enforcement and lecturing on money laundering, was a guest speaker at the conference, which began yesterday and runs through Friday. The conference, held at the Marriott Marquis in New York's theater district, attracted about 1,700 professionals in areas such as auditing, accounting, healthcare, and investigation. Last year's event attracted about 1,500 professionals.

"Our primary mission is to provide education for fraud investigators in the field," said Joseph Wells, founder and chairman of the ACFE.

The ACFE, established in 1988, is based in Austin, Texas. The 25,000-member organization educates professionals who are trained in the highly-specialized aspects of detecting, investigating, and deterring fraud and white-collar crime. The association sponsors about 100 local chapters worldwide.

-- By Antoinette Alexander

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