About me

I'm the Director of the Combating Kleptocracy Program at the Human Rights Foundation, as well as a writer, analyst, and investigative journalist working on topics ranging from kleptocracy, illicit finance, dark money, foreign lobbying, and foreign interference to the legacies of Russian and Soviet colonialism.

I’ve written two books. The first—AMERICAN KLEPTOCRACY: How the U.S. Created the World’s Greatest Money Laundering Scheme in History, on America’s transformation into the world’s greatest offshore haven— was described as one of the “best books to read to understand financial crime” (The Economist), “masterful” (Financial Times), and “brilliantly clear” (The Atlantic).

My new book—FOREIGN AGENTS: How American Lobbyists and Lawmakers Threaten Democracy Around the World, on the rise and devastating impact of the U.S.’s foreign lobbying industry—received starred reviews from Kirkus and Publisher’s Weekly, and was described by The Economist as “an eye-opening depiction of an industry that has largely defied efforts to keep it in check” as well as one of the “biggest foreign-policy book releases of 2024,” according to Foreign Policy.

My writing has appeared in The New York Times, Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Foreign Affairs, The Washington Post, Foreign Policy, New York Magazine, Mother Jones, Vox, The New Republic, POLITICO Magazine, Sports Illustrated, Rolling Stone, Just Security, Teen Vogue, Bellingcat, NBC, CNN, The Spectator, ThinkProgress, Quartz, The American Prospect, The American Interest, Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), The Bulwark, openDemocracy, The Guardian, Texas Monthly, The National Review, World Politics Review, Al Jazeera, Slate, GEN, The Daily Beast, Roads & Kingdoms, Talking Points Memo, EurasiaNet, Houston Chronicle, Jamestown, Moscow Times, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and Business Insider, among a host of other outlets.

I received my Master's degree in Russia, Eurasia and Eastern Europe Studies from Columbia University's Harriman Institute—and I’m currently sanctioned by Russia.

I’m a former fellow with the Hudson Institute's Kleptocracy Initiative, where I helped co-host the award-winning “MAKING A KILLING” podcast on corruption and kleptocracy, as well as a member of RUSI’s Taskforce on a Transatlantic Response to Illicit Finance. I’ve also testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on kleptocracy and oligarchs. You may have also seen, heard, or read me on CNN, BBC, NPR, MSNBC, Canal+, Deutsche Welle, Radio France Internationale, or in The New York Times, Financial Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, or The Economist.

Relatedly, I taught a course on the history of Batman at Rice University. And I now spend as much free time as possible birding with the Editor-in-Chief of Teen Vogue.