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Suspicious Activity Reports Detail Transactions in Mortgage Fraud Scheme

A federal judge has ordered more than 24 years of prison time for a former loan officer who was found guilty on all eight counts of an indictment charging conspiracy, bank fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering. Several financial institutions identified unusual transactions related to the…

BSA Data Instrumental in Drug Cases

A Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) investigation into a local cocaine and marijuana trafficker involved more than one cooperating source who knew of the trafficker but had no biographical data. A SAR was located that identified the trafficker, provided biographical data and notations that…

Lengthy Sentence for Owning a Marijuana Farm

A defendant was sentenced to serve multiple months in prison followed by several years probation, after pleading guilty to narcotics trafficking charges and structuring financial transactions to evade the currency reporting requirements in connection with a marijuana growing operation. The…

SAR Filings Lead to Investigation Involving Black Market Peso Exchange

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…

Suspicious Activity Report Initiates Investigations into Fraud, High-Yield Investment Schemes; Egmont Exchanges Lead to Foreign Accounts and Asset Seizures

An FBI agent proactively reviewing SARs identified a potential fraud scheme. However, as he dug deeper into the scheme, he learned the perpetrators of the crimes were in fact victims of yet another fraud based on high-yield investments. This second scheme led to a series of international…

Suspicious Activity Report Leads to Arrest and Conviction of U.S. Government Employee for Embezzlement

In a case initiated from a SAR review team, a Federal government accountant pleaded guilty to theft of public money and money laundering. The case began when an alert bank noticed several unusual transactions, including large cash payments to credit card accounts. Activity in one account at the…

Bank Secrecy Act Records Track Money Laundering Methods of Drug Gang

In a case involving dozens of defendants who orchestrated the importation and distribution of methamphetamine, BSA records helped investigators trace the flow of drug proceeds. The records, including Form 8300s and CTRs helped identify the cash purchase of a high-end automobile, and the flow of…

Judge Rules Defendant Guilty of Structuring; No Connection to Criminal Activity Alleged

Case summary: In a key decision, a defendant went to trial after pleading not guilty to two counts of structuring. Notably, in this case, prosecutors did not bring money laundering charges against the defendant because there was no indication that the structured currency resulted from any…

BSA Records, 314(a) Request Assists Investigation of International Money Laundering Using Stored Value Cards

A man accused of managing an international theft ring involving more than $1 million has been indicted and faces charges including fraud and money laundering. Prosecutors allege that the defendant stole the identities of hundreds of people and used his stored-value card business to launder and…

Metal Traders Charged in International Bank Fraud Scheme

In May 2002, three (3) principals and the former treasurer of a group of metal trading companies were charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, mail fraud, and wire fraud in connection with a sophisticated international scheme to defraud banks worldwide of more than $600 million. The…