He is the Founder and Executive Director of Earth League International (ELI), a Los Angeles–based NGO specializing in investigating environmental organized crime.
For over 15 years, he has been at the forefront of using professional intelligence to combat environmental organized crime, directing and supervising dozens of international investigations worldwide. These efforts have targeted deforestation in the Amazon, illegal fishing in the Americas, along with the trafficking of ivory, rhino horn, jaguar and tiger parts, shark fins, and other illicit wildlife products.
He is widely recognized as an expert on environmental crime convergence, examining how environmental offenses intersect with other serious crimes—such as money laundering, human trafficking, and drug trafficking—often linked to transnational organized crime and national security issues.
Creator of WildLeaks, the world's first whistleblowing initiative dedicated to environmental/wildlife crime, founding board member of the Wildlife Justice Commission (The Netherlands) and board member of The Africa Conservancy Foundation (Kenya).
He collaborates with various U.S. law enforcement and government agencies, and other government agencies around the world. He works with various academics institutions, including the Florida International University, the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, George Mason University/TraCCC, and The University of Edinburgh.
His work has been featured on the front pages of The New Yorker and The Washington Post, as well as in the Netflix documentary The Ivory Game and the Disney+/National Geographic documentary Sea of Shadows, both produced by Leonardo DiCaprio.
He is an Expert Advisor for the Earthshot Prize, the global environmental award launched in 2020 by Price William.
He holds a Master’s degree in Natural Sciences, a Master’s degree in Business & Innovation, and a BSc in Psychology.
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/acrostaeli
Speaking at
Oct 12 2025 (12:30 - 13:00)