Catholic University Law Review Volume 37 Issue 2 Winter 1988 Article 6 1988 Hue and Cry in the Counting-House: Some Observations on the Bank Secrecy Act Jonathan J. Rusch Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.law.edu/lawreview Recommended Citation Jonathan J. Rusch, Hue and Cry in the Counting-House: Some Observations on the Bank Secrecy Act, 37 Cath. U. L. Rev. 465 (1988). Available at: https://scholarship.law.edu/lawreview/vol37/iss2/6 This Symposium is brought to you for free and open access by CUA Law Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Catholic University Law Review by an authorized editor of CUA Law Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. HUE AND CRY IN THE COUNTING-HOUSE: SOME OBSERVATIONS ON THE BANK SECRECY ACT Jonathan J. Rusch* One of the stranger vicissitudes in our society is the extent to which cash has become more important as a medium of exchange in illegal transactions than in legal transactions. While "cash is a highly suitable means of pay- ment for many transactions,"' it is not the preferred method of payment by Americans for legitimate transactions. 2 In contrast, cash is virtually indis- pensable for a wide range of illegal activities, including drug trafficking, ille- gal gambling, prostitution, loansharking, bribery, extortion, tax evasion, and other financial offenses.3 Unlike other financial instruments, cash freely cir- culates throughout the population, is customarily used and accepted as a medium of exchange, and does not routinely return to the issuing institution. Law enforcement authorities, therefore, encounter substantial difficulties in reconstructing audit trails when cash is used in illegal activities.