U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

News

Members of the media may email inquiries or interview requests to press@fincen.gov.

If you are not a member of the media, please visit the FinCEN contact page.

Escort Service Operates at and Launders Money through Casino

Case summary: Two individuals, who frequented a tribal casino, operated a local escort service and conducted a prostitution business at the casino. Defendant A was often in the company of young females who would meet and then leave with males from the casino for short periods. Upon return to…

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 Details Illicit Check Cashing Activity, Provides Blueprint for Investigation and Indictment

In the course of an investigation into possible terrorist activities, investigators uncovered a SAR that provided detailed information concerning suspect check cashing activity by the operators of a convenience store. The filing bank’s audit found that the business was cashing checks to disguise…

SAR Leads to Recovery of Funds Derived from Foreign Corruption

An alert financial institution, upon learning of negative information on potential clients, filed a SAR and notified Federal law enforcement officials of its findings. The ensuing investigation revealed that several subjects conducted a complex series of transactions, over a period of several…

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…