
90 Money Laundering: A Guide for Criminal Investigators, Third Edition
There are two kinds of claims against assets. In our beer
example, Al is now claiming ownership based on the fact that
he’s got 55 bucks invested in that asset. (And who’s going to
dispute him?) His investment is also known as his equity or
capital, or sometimes net worth. In this very simple example,
Al’s equity in this item is $55.
The other type of claim against assets doesn’t apply to the
beer example because Al used his own money (capital) to pay
for it. If he had used someone else’s money, he would owe
that person for the amount. He would be liable for the debt,
which ...