Money Laundering

A charge that often rides alongside others – and can carry even greater exposure.

Money laundering is rarely charged alone. Prosecutors typically bring it alongside an underlying offense such as fraud, drug trafficking, or bribery, alleging that a person moved, concealed, or spent the proceeds of that crime. Because the federal money-laundering statutes are written broadly, ordinary financial activity – a wire transfer, a real-estate purchase, a deposit into a business account – can become the basis for a separate charge carrying up to 20 years in prison, along with forfeiture of the property involved.

These cases are increasingly complex. Investigators now trace funds through shell companies, foreign accounts, cryptocurrency exchanges, and trade transactions, and they frequently rely on bank reporting and compliance data to build their theories. At the same time, the government must still prove that the money actually came from specified unlawful activity and that the person knew it. Business owners, professionals, and financial intermediaries are often drawn into these cases despite having no involvement in the underlying crime.

IredaleRoth has extensive experience defending money-laundering allegations, both as stand-alone charges and alongside drug-trafficking and white-collar cases. We have handled allegations of money laundering conducted by, or for the benefit of, some of the largest and most sophisticated criminal organizations in the world. We are familiar with all the established and emerging techniques used to conduct this offense, and to investigate it. We have also helped clients avoid substantial exposure to forfeitures and minimized exposure to such charges. 

People facing money-laundering allegations often ask about the following:

• Did the funds actually come from a crime, and did the person know it? The government must prove both. Many cases rest on inferences that do not hold up under scrutiny.

• Is the charge simply duplicating the underlying offense? Prosecutors sometimes stack laundering counts on top of the same conduct to increase sentencing exposure. Challenging that overlap can significantly reduce the stakes.

• What property is at risk? Money-laundering convictions carry broad forfeiture provisions, and the government may move to restrain assets early in a case. Protecting legitimate assets – and the ability to pay for a defense – is often an urgent priority.