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SAR Filing Uncovers Additional Counterfeit Check Fraud

In a Florida case, a SAR filing led to the identification of additional fraud perpetrated by a subject already under investigation by special agents within the U.S. Secret Service’s (USSS) Tampa Field Office. From December 1996 through May 1997, investigators identified an individual who…

Six People Arrested for Allegedly Bilking Millions of Dollars of Goods from Food Bank

On October 7, 1999, a man and woman, their lawyer and three private investigators in their employ were arrested for alleged involvement in an elaborate conspiracy. The conspiracy included bilking millions of dollars worth of goods from a food bank, burning buildings for insurance, stalking, and…

Drug Trafficker Pleads Guilty to Structuring and Money Laundering Charges

A defendant was sentenced to Federal prison after he admitted to structuring dozens of bank deposits and withdrawals, in an attempt to conceal proceeds from marijuana and hallucinogenic mushroom sales. With detailed bank statements, prosecutors could prove structuring and money laundering in…

BSA Records Help Dismantle Oxycodone Ring

Members of a multi-state drug trafficking and money laundering organization have pled guilty to multiple counts of narcotics trafficking and money laundering. The organization trafficked in Oxycodone and the movement of large amounts of money between two states. The organization was identified…

SAR Leads to Guilty Plea in Case against Doctor

A Federal judge sentenced a chiropractor to 8 months’ imprisonment and fined the defendant $30,000 for structuring a series of transactions. In addition, during the course of the investigation, evidence surfaced that the defendant may have committed medical fraud and may have obtained a medical…

Bank Secrecy Act Records Assist in Mortgage Fraud Investigation Resulting in Guilty Plea

In a case where investigators believe that as much as $7 million in losses may be realized, Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) records helped identify co-conspirators, accounts, and elements of a mortgage fraud scheme. Specifically, Suspicious Activity Reports described transactions related to the fraud in…

Appeals Court Affirms Conviction in Tax Evasion Case Arising from a SAR

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit affirmed the conviction of David Middleton for attempting to evade or defeat income tax in violation of 26 U.S.C. 7201. The case arose from a SAR filed by a bank employee. Middleton was a real estate agent who formed several companies through which…

Insurance Executive Sentenced in Embezzlement Scheme

In a case initiated based on the filing of a SAR, a former high-ranking officer of an insurance firm, who was charged in a multiple-count federal indictment including counts of embezzling insurance premiums, falsifying records and filing false tax returns, has been sentenced to almost two years…

SAR Filings Assist International Money Laundering Case

Between November 2000 and January 2001, SARs were filed by two (2) banks indicating accounts controlled by Victor Alberto Venero-Garrido had received large and suspicious deposits totaling over $22 million. Following the filing of the SARs, a money laundering investigation was initiated. The…

Store Owners Plead Guilty to Structuring and Food Stamp Fraud

The joint investigation among several federal and local law enforcement officials was initiated as the result of a SAR filing. In February 2002, three (3) brothers pled guilty to fraudulently selling food stamps out of their convenience store. The scam netted nearly $2 million. The brothers also…