Money laundering cases are interesting to defend because the government has several steps to prove. In a drug distribution case, the government must prove that an individual distributed drugs or possessed drugs with the intent to distribute them or was otherwise tied to those activities.
In a money laundering case, the government must prove that there were proceeds coming from illegal conduct such as a drug distribution situation. They also have to show that the money was moved and the intent of that transaction was to disguise the origins of the money obtained from an illegal activity. For more information on how the defense process works for money laundering, contact a qualified attorney today who will be ready to work with you.
What Goes into Building a Defense
To successfully defend any case, the defense attorney wants to know exactly what the government plans to present as their evidence against the person and how they plan to prove their case. The attorney looks for evidence to attack the government’s theory and refute the government’s evidence. To build a defense in a Maryland federal money laundering case, the attorney pores over anything and everything the government has as potential evidence against the individual. They also seek their own evidence to put on a defense.
What the Defense Looks For
The defense attorney looks for witnesses, analyzes documents, and listens to wiretaps to determine what was said and by whom. The attorney identifies the witnesses and determines whether they are vulnerable to a collateral attack to see if their credibility can be challenged. From the first day, the attorney looks for anything that can weaken the government’s case. Gathering information and analyzing the evidence are the first things to begin with when building a defense to money laundering charges.
Common Defense Strategies in Money Laundering Cases
A common defense strategy in a money laundering case is to attack any evidence that is weak. In a money laundering case, the government must use evidence to establish several different components, so a common defense strategy is to challenge the person’s alleged involvement. The defense attorney looks for a way to challenge whether there was a criminal enterprise and the money laundering came from that. When the government cannot prove that the person charged with money laundering acted unlawfully, whether they can prove there was illegal activity is moot as to the person charged. If the government cannot prove they were involved and knowingly did so, the case against them will fall.
Defense Strategies
First, the defense attorney attacks any evidence regarding the individual’s involvement in the enterprise. They attack the government’s evidence with regard to the criminal activity triggering the alleged money laundering. The attorney determines whether there is an opportunity to attack the monetary transactions the government is targeting by questioning whether the transactions involved money that came from illegal proceeds. Finally, they attack the allegation that the individual was involved in any of these transactions with the intent to conceal the fact that the money came from illegal proceeds. That is how an attorney would proceed in a Maryland federal money laundering defense.
Working with Experienced Attorneys
Maryland federal money laundering lawyers have extensive experience defending state and federal criminal cases in the DC area. They have many resources to bring to the case, like investigators, paralegals, law clerks, other support staff, and numerous experienced attorneys. They have the resources, knowledge, experience, and expertise to bring to any criminal case like a money laundering case. Contact an attorney today if you have more questions about a Maryland money laundering defense.
