The prosecution of federal money laundering cases in DC is taken very seriously. There are often particular elements to the charge, and methods to the investigation in these cases. A federally barred attorney in DC will have the experience and knowledge to understand how the prosecution works in these cases, and will be able to build an effective and appropriate defense.
Money laundering does not have to be a federal charge, it can also be charged at the state level. There must be a nexus to a federal issue. For example, federal drug cases often involve money laundering. If the alleged illegal activity relates to a state issue or illegal activity, then the money laundering charge will be involved in a state case.
What the Prosecution Must Prove
The attorneys for the prosecution of federal money laundering cases in DC must prove that there is an illegal source of money, that the accused person had knowledge of the illegal source, and that they specifically intended to conceal the money from that illegal source. Those are the basic elements that the prosecution must prove in a money laundering case.
Evidence Used
In a money laundering case, typically, the government will use evidence of financial records as well as records of purchases. The government tries to trace the source of these funds. If they have to prove it is an illegal source, that’s where the financial record use tends to drop off because usually, there are not a lot of records of illegal activity.
For example, if the government is trying to tie the money laundering to a drug case, they present evidence of the drug activity through live witnesses, surveillance video, or wire-tap evidence. Then they go back to paper to show where they believe the money went. In a healthcare case, there may be more paper evidence involved at the beginning to show the illegal source. But recently, there is an increase in the use of recorded conversations and other types of non-white collar investigative techniques in these cases.
Witnesses
In money laundering cases, the government often calls a forensic accountant as a witness. This is someone the government alleges can piece together financial records and has found evidence to trace the money back to the illegal source. In a money laundering case, this is a key witness, whose role is to tie all the pieces together for the jury. It is the defense attorney’s job to show that witness is incorrect, or that the assumptions that they are relying upon are incorrect.
As far as other types of witnesses, they will most likely call law enforcement agents, bank officials, people who have analyzed financial records to try and determine some sort of pattern of concealment or other financial patterns to establish their case.
All of these will be essential to the prosecution of federal money laundering charges in DC.
Agencies Involved in Investigations
The agencies which investigate money laundering offenses are typically the same as those investigating the underlying offense. In a mortgage fraud case, it could be the FHA, it could be Fannie Mae. If the money laundering offense relates to a government procurement fraud case, it could be Department of Labor, the FBI could be involved, and the IRS could be involved. It will largely just depend on what crime the money laundering was a part of.
Potential Scenarios
There are various activities that can result in the allegation of money laundering. . Essentially, it means that the proceeds of an illegal activity are used in a certain way. One example of money laundering might be someone who is a drug dealer who opens a pizzeria and injects the cash from the drug dealing into the restaurant’s books in order to make dirty money clean. That is one type of money laundering.
What can also be considered money laundering is if someone is alleged to have done an activity that is illegal and made money from it. For example, if someone violates a banking law and there is money that comes as a result of that. In that case, a person can be accused of money laundering because of that as well but that is not necessarily what people would normally think of as money laundering.
These and other examples fall under the purview of the prosecution of federal money laundering cases in DC.
Role of a Skilled Attorney
If you are facing charges, be sure to reach out to an experienced law firm as soon as possible. A conviction will have serious an long-lasting repercussions. With the help of a skilled attorney, you can better fight the prosecution of federal money laundering cases in DC.
