J.R. Mailey is a senior expert at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC), where he works on corruption, organized crime and illicit financial flows. Previously, he was director of investigations for the Sentry, overseeing investigations into financial crimes and corruption linked to violence and atrocities. Earlier, J.R. was a research associate at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies (ACSS), where he specialized in natural resources, corruption and security in Africa. He authored the ACSS special report, ‘The anatomy of the resource curse: Predatory investment in Africa’s extractive industries’. He also previously worked as a researcher for the US–China Economic and Security Review Commission, where he was co-author of ‘The 88 Queensway Group: A case study in Chinese investors’ operations in Angola and beyond’.