THE GLOBAL INITIATIVE NETWORK
Meet the Experts

Rob McCusker
Director of the Centre for Fraud and Financial Crime and Reader in Fraud and Financial Crime within Teesside University Business School

Rob McCusker is a Visiting Professor in Transnational Crime at Universiti Teknologi MARA in Malaysia and was the former Director of the Centre for Fraud and Financial Crime and Reader in Fraud and Financial Crime within the School of Social Sciences, Business and Law at Teesside University and the former Transnational Crime Analyst for the Australian Institute of Criminology, Australia’s leading statutorily created crime research body which falls within the Minister for Justice’s portfolio. Within Australia, Rob worked with a number of agencies including the Australian Crime Commission, the Australian Federal Police, the Australian High Tech Crime Centre and the Office of National Assessments on a range of transnational crime issues. Outside of Australia, Rob has worked with the Specialist Crime Directorate of the Metropolitan Police, the Council of Europe, APEC, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the US State Department. Overall, Rob has worked with a range of Government, law enforcement, intelligence and business organisations in a number of jurisdictions including the UK, USA, Thailand, New Zealand, the Pacific Islands, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Indonesia. Rob was a designated ‘expert’ in economic crime and money laundering at the 2005, 2010 and 2015 United Nations Congresses on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.
In relation to anti-money laundering and counter terrorist finance, Rob was seconded for two years to the Attorney-General’s Department as an adviser on the development and implementation of its Anti-Money Laundering and Counter Terrorist Financing Act 2006 and formed part of the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Project Team involved in a four year research programme for AUSTRAC (Australia’s Financial Intelligence Unit) on best practice in anti-money laundering efforts globally. He was also a member of the Australian Government Inter -Departmental Committee on the establishment, role and operation of the Anti-Money Laundering Assessment Team which supports the creation and operation of Financial Intelligence Units in the Pacific Islands. More recently, he was consultant to, and contributing author for, the European Commission for its ‘Study for an Impact Assessment for a Proposal for a Directive to on the Criminalisation of Money Laundering’.
In relation to corruption, Rob was until recently the Research and Evaluation Consultant for the UN Development Programme in relation to a global assessment of the impact of the UN Convention against Corruption. He undertook a review for the Australian Attorney-General’s Department on anti-corruption strategies in the Asia-Pacific region and was a member of Panel Two (‘The Foreign Bribery Offence and Principles of Prosecution –Australian Public Authorities’) in connection with an OECD on-site evaluation of the Australian Government’s compliance with the OECD Foreign Bribery Convention. Rob is a Member of the Advisory Board of the Rutgers Institute on Anti- Corruption Studies, Rutgers University, New York, and has also been engaged by the International Centre for Parliamentary Studies in London to advise (in relation to financial regulation as part of an anti-corruption toolkit) delegates from developed and developing nations on developing and enhancing their countries’ anti-corruption strategies. Countries advised thus far include Gambia, Somalia, Bulgaria, Nigeria, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Serbia, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates.
Publications
Books/Book Chapters
- McCusker, R (2014 forthcoming) ‘Transnational Organised Cyber Crime: Distinguishing Threat from Reality’ in Sheptycki, J (ed ), Transnational Organised Crime, Sage Publications
- McCusker, R (2013), ‘Transnational Organised Cyber Crime: Distinguishing Threat from Reality’, in Passas, N (Editor), Transnational Financial Crime (The Library of Essays on Transnational Crime Series), Ashgate
- McCusker, R (2012), ‘Organised Cybercrime: Myth or Reality, Malignant or Benign? in Manacorda, S (ed), Cybercriminality: Finding a Balance Between Freedom and Security, International Scientific and Professional Advisory Council of the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme, Milan, Italy, ISBN 978-88-96410-02-8
- Walters, J, Budd, C, Smith, RG, Choo, K-K R, McCusker, R & Rees, D (2011) ‘Anti-Money Laundering and Counter- Terrorism Financing Across the Globe: A Comparative Study of Regulatory Action’, Research and Public Policy Series, No.113, Australian Institute of Criminology, Canberra, http://aic.gov.au/documents/4/E/E/%7b4EE0EECA-9079-45DB-80A1-743CFCE5D58E%7drpp113.pdf
- Bricknell, S, McCusker, R, Chadwick, H & Rees, D (2011), ‘Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing Risks to Australian Non-profit Organisations’, Research and Public Policy Series, No. 114, Australian Institute of Criminology, Canberra, http://aic.gov.au/documents/7/3/9/%7b73997C4D-79B3-46B1-8D09-4AFC93E675F5%7drpp114.pdf
- McCusker, R (2008) ‘The Precursor Chemical Trade Environment in Oceania’, Australian Institute of Criminology, Research and Public Policy Series, No.96, http://aic.gov.au/documents/C/6/8/%7bC68D6F0F-8F2D-4D2D-9B01-9AE6EBCEE3FE%7drpp96.pdf
- McCusker, R (Ed) (2008) ‘Transnational Crime’, Henry Stewart Talks, http://hstalks.com/main/browse_talks.php?r=384
- McCusker, R (2008) ‘Tackling Transnational Crime’ in McCusker, R (Ed), ‘Transnational Crime’, Henry Stewart Talks, http://hstalks.com/main/browse_talks.php?r=384
- McCusker, R (2008) ‘Corruption and Transnational Crime’ in McCusker, R (Ed), ‘Transnational Crime’, Henry Stewart Talks, http://hstalks.com/main/browse_talks.php?r=384
- Choo, K.K.R, Smith, R.G. & McCusker, R (2007) ‘The Future of Technology-Enabled Crime’, Australian Institute of Criminology, Research and Public Policy Series, No.78, http://aic.gov.au/documents/9/3/6/%7b936C8901-37B3-4175-B3EE-97EF27103D69%7drpp78.pdf
- McCusker, R (2006) ‘Review of Anti-Corruption Strategies’, Technical and Background Paper 23, Australian Institute of Criminology, http://aic.gov.au/documents/8/F/1/%7b8F179E8B-B998-4761-84B3-AD311D7D3EA8%7dtbp023.pdf
- McCusker, R (2005) ‘Law Enforcement Co-operation and Judicial Assistance in the Asia and Pacific Region’ in K Aromaa and T Viljanen (Eds) Enhancing International Law Enforcement Co-operation, including Extradition Measures, HEUNI, Helsinki
Journal Articles
- Smith, R.G, McCusker, R & Walters, J (2010) ‘Financing of Terrorism: Risks for Australia’, Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, No. 394, Australian Institute of Criminology, http://aic.gov.au/media_library/publications/tandi_pdf/tandi394.pdf
- Graycar, A & McCusker, R (2008) ‘Transnational Crime and Trafficking in Persons: Quantifying the Nature, Extent and Facilitation of a Growing Phenomenon’, International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice, Fall 2007, Vol. 31, No. 2, http://tees.openrepository.com/tees/bitstream/10149/115448/2/115448.pdf
- McCusker, R (2007) ‘Transnational Organised Cyber Crime: Distinguishing Threat from Reality’, Crime, Law and Social Change, Special Issue, 46:257-273, http://tees.openrepository.com/tees/bitstream/10149/115450/2/115450.pdf?origin=publication_detail
- Choo, K.K.R, Smith, R.G. & McCusker, R (2007) ‘The Future of Technology-Enabled Crime in Australia’, Australian Institute of Criminology, Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, No.341, http://aic.gov.au/media_library/publications/tandi2/tandi341.pdf
- McCusker, R (2007) ‘Money Mules’, High Tech Crime Brief 16, Australian Institute of Criminology/Australian High Tech Crime Centre, http://aic.gov.au/media_library/publications/tandi2/tandi341.pdf
- McCusker, R (2006) ‘The US Money Laundering Threat Assessment’, Money Laundering Intelligence, No.5 April
- McCusker, R (2006) ‘Transnational Crime in the Pacific Islands: Real or Apparent Danger’, Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, No. 308, March, http://aic.gov.au/media_library/publications/tandi2/tandi308.pdf
- McCusker, R (2005) ‘Early Fall Out of the Third Directive’, Money Laundering Intelligence, No.2 December
- McCusker, R (2005) ‘Underground Banking: Legitimate Remittance Network or Money Laundering System?’, Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, No. 300, July, Australian Institute of Criminology, http://aic.gov.au/media_library/publications/tandi2/tandi300.pdf
- McCusker, R & Anderson, K (2005) ‘Crime in the Australian Fishing Industry: Its Nature, Impact and Control’, Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, No.297, April, Australian Institute of Criminology, http://aic.gov.au/media_library/publications/tandi/tandi297.pdf
- McCusker, R (2005) ‘Spam: Nuisance or Menace, Prevention or Cure?’, Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, No. 294, March 2005, Australian Institute of Criminology, http://aic.gov.au/media_library/publications/tandi2/tandi294.pdf
- McCusker, R (2005) ‘Issues of Corruption and Crime: Transnational Crime Syndicates and Trafficking’, Development Bulletin, No. 66, January
- Makkai, T & McCusker, R (2005) ‘What Do We Need to Know? Improving the Evidence Base on Trafficking in Human Beings in the Asia–Pacific Region’, Development Bulletin, No. 66, January
- McCusker, R (2004) Worldwide Fight against Transnational Organised Crime: Australia, Technical and Background Paper No. 9, prepared for the Centre for International Crime Prevention, United Nations, Australian Institute of Criminology, http://aic.gov.au/media_library/publications/tandi2/tandi294.pdf
- McCusker, R (2004) ‘China, Globalisation and Crime: A Potential Victim of Its Own Prospective Success?’, Journal of Financial Crime, Vol.12, No. 1, pp. 44-52, http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1533882
- McCusker, R (2002) ‘E-Commerce, Business and Crime: Inextricably Linked, Diametrically Opposed’, The Company Lawyer, Vol.23, No.1, pp. 2-7
- McCusker, R (2001) ‘E-Commerce Security: The Birth of Technology, the Death of Common Sense’, Journal of Financial Crime, Volume 9, No. 1, pp. 79-89, http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1650623&show=html
- McCusker, R (1999) ‘Money Laundering Control: Time for a Reality Check?’, Money Laundering Bulletin, Volume 68, November, pp.12-13.
- McCusker, R (1999) ‘Money Laundering Control: Elusive Dream or Achievable Reality?’, Journal of Money Laundering Control, Vol.3 No. 3. pp.214-222, http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1648441&show=pdf
Confidential Publications
- McCusker, R (2009) ‘Charities and Terrorist Financing’, Report for the Australian Institute of Criminology
- McCusker, R (2008) ‘The Future Global Threat Environment, Report for the Australian Institute of Criminology
- McCusker, R (2008) ‘The Precursor Chemical Trade Environment in Oceania’, Final Report, the Australia Customs Service and the Attorney-General’s Department, Australian Institute of Criminology
- Anderson, K & McCusker, R (2004) ‘National Study of Crime in the Fishing Industry’, a report for the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Australian Institute of Criminology
Other Experts

Shirleen Chin
Legal Officer/Programme Manager, Institute for Environmental Security & Founder, Green Transparency
VIEW PROFILE

Arthur Boutellis
Director of the Brian Urquhart Center for Peace Operations, International Peace Institute
VIEW PROFILE

María de la Luz Lima Malvido
Professor of Victimology at Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Penales (National Institute for Crime Sciences)
VIEW PROFILE
Christina Bain
Director, Initiative on Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery, Babson College
VIEW PROFILE