An FBI investigation was initiated upon the receipt of a SAR from a bank in New York that identified deposits being structured to avoid the filing of CTRs. This case was worked jointly with the FBI, New York City Department of Investigation, IRS, and U.S. Customs Service. Over 80 SARs were filed…
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The owner of a company that distributed various products to small independent convenience and grocery stores was sentenced to 188 months in prison after his conviction on drug, money laundering, and Title 31 charges. The company was distributing pallet-load quantities of psuedoephedrine to a…
Two SARs filed by a central Florida bank resulted in the initiation of a money laundering investigation of a fraudulent securities dealer operating a prime bank fraud scheme. The SARs reported unusual account activity and international wire transfers in the tens of millions of dollars. The case…
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has a case that involves multiple illegal activities taking place in a number of liquor stores. Violations include the sale of stolen firearms by a non-licensee, money laundering, contraband cigarette trafficking, violations of state…
Two suspects, a husband and wife, had been corresponding with individuals in Nigeria for several months concerning a transfer of $30 million from Nigeria to their bank account. The suspects, skeptical of the promises made by the foreign philanthropist, performed their own investigation via the…
In February 2002, SAR information provided by an investment account firm revealed wire transfers in excess of $500,000 originated from an individual's account, through a trading company in Dubai, UAE, for transfer to Iran. Investigation disclosed the account holder had made comments to the…
An individual walked into a Pennsylvania bank and opened one individual account and two business accounts. The individual then walked across the street to a different bank and opened three additional accounts. Unbeknownst to the individual, these two banks were in the process of merging and his…
In September 2003, an Iraqi national was sentenced in federal court after pleading guilty in June 2003 to one count of 18 USC 1956 (h): conspiracy to launder money with the underlying offense of 18 USC 1957 (engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from a Specified Unlawful Activity…
A New Hampshire bank filed a SAR on a group of individuals who were cashing numerous checks from a local salvage company for amounts under $10,000. Based on this SAR, an investigation was initiated by IRS-CI. During the course of the investigation, it was discovered that the men cashing the…
A former California deputy sheriff pled guilty to extortion and Title 31 charges. He was sentenced to serve 60 months in prison followed by 5 years probation, and ordered to pay $300,000 in restitution to one of the victims. His wife received three years probation for related charges. The…