The anti-money laundering laws are broad; they are designed to catch drug smugglers, and terrorists among others. But Dershowitz is trying to make Spitzer sound like an innocent and he is not.
Spitzer in knowing violation of the currency laws deliberately structured his cash transactions to stay below the $10,000 reportable limit and the Feds have him dead to rights.
Verdict: GUILTY!
Your post does nothing to defend the rightness of these intrusive laws to begin with.
Spitzer may indeed be guilty of violating these laws, but the laws themselves are stupid and way too intrusive.
. . .
Hmmm, I think I may look into starting a Swiss bank account. It’s too bad you need to look outside the US to find places where privacy means anything anymore.
Yes, and Dershowitz's point is that the laws are too broad. I used to know an Assistant US Attorney for the Southern District of New York. He told me that on his first day on the job, the US Attorney called him into his office and told him to look out the window. Below was a park and dozens of people were walking around. The US Attorney told my friend, "You see everyone in that park? They have all committed a federal crime. Your job is to decide who to prosecute."
I'm pretty sure I don't want to sign on to that type of government...
His real crime is violation of the Mann Act. I wonder if they’ll give him a pass on it.