Money Laundering
35+ Years' Experience. Nationally Recognized Defense.
Money laundering is also considered a white collar crime. It is defined as the concealment of the origins, and/or use/transfer, of illegally obtained/derived money. In federal court transfer/concealment must involve interstate or foreign commerce and money laundering allegations often involve foreign banks and/or legitimate businesses. Use/concealment/transfer must be with intent to facilitate the criminal activity. (In federal Court, the criminal activity at the core of money laundering charges is call “Specified Unlawful Activity” or “SUA”).
Money laundering is the process of concealing the origins of illegally obtained money and making it appear legal, or “clean.” Typically, this process involves three steps: placement, layering and integration. First, the illegal funds are introduced into a legitimate financial system. Next, the money is moved around, whether it’s by transfer or wire, through several accounts. Finally, it is integrated into the financial system through transactions until the “dirty” money appears “clean.”
Penalties for a first-time money laundering conviction include a prison sentence of up to 6 years, along with a fine of no more than $250,000 or twice the value of the money or property transacted, whichever is greater. A second offense carries a minimum prison sentence of 2 years, but no more than 8 years, and a fine of less than $500,000 or three times the value of the money or property transacted, whichever is greater. If the money laundering case goes to federal court, a conviction could carry up to 20 years of prison time.
As with other white collar crimes, the applicable sentencing exposure/range is driven by the monetary amounts involved; with sentences greatly enhanced in federal court for SUA(s) involving illegal narcotics activity. Money laundering indictments usually include tough forfeiture counts, too. Structuring financial transactions ( “smurfing”) and other bank reporting violations are often coupled with money largest charges.
An experienced money laundering defense attorney builds a strong defense by doing a thorough investigation and examining records, locating possible witnesses and identifying redeeming physical or digital evidence. Money laundering cases are extremely complex, which coincidentally creates many ways in that they can be challenged.
A few of the most common defense strategies include:
Often, the amount of money is disputed in these cases. If the government alleges that they can prove a certain amount of money was laundered, with the help of a forensic accountant, an attorney can attack the accountant’s opinion if it isn’t credible. For example, if the government claims that a few million dollars were laundered, but the number was actually in the tens of thousands, it can have a huge effect on the end result of the case.
If you are accused of money laundering, it is not a charge to take lightly. You will need an experienced white collar crime lawyer to defend your freedom, assets, bank accounts ad real and personal property. Brad Bailey, is an experienced money laundering defense attorney with over thirty years of experience in criminal law. He began his law career as an Assistant District Attorney in both Manhattan and Middlesex County, Massachusetts. After never losing a case as a federal prosecutor in Boston ( where a number of his prosecutions involved allegations of money laundering), he switched over to exclusively practicing as a high-profile defense lawyer, which he has been doing, exclusively, for the past 17 years, with unparalleled success.
Some of the notable money laundering cases Mr. Bailey, a “White Collar Crimes Super Lawyer” has defended include:
The best course of action to take when accused of this crime is to find the best attorney possible. You want to avoid any missteps in your defense strategy or not waste valuable time on a lawyer who needs to learn the difficult and intricate nuances of these complex laws; otherwise, you risk losing your financial property interests, as well as your freedom. To ensure the best defense possible, as well as experienced money laundering representation, don’t hesitate. Contact Brad Bailey NOW for a confidential phone consultation, today.
Contact our office at (617) 500-0252 if you would like to discuss your charges.
Brad Bailey is the go-to defense attorney for white collar crimes, federal crimes, as well as serious state felony charges. He is without question one of the most experienced criminal defense attorneys in Boston.