Defending Federal Money Laundering Charges

Below, a federal money laundering lawyer in DC discusses how to build a defense for federal money laundering cases. To discuss the specifics of your case or learn more about money laundering charges, call and schedule a free consultation today.

What Makes Money Laundering Cases Interesting To Defend?

Very often the money laundering aspect of a case comes about through the government’s initial investigation of an underlying criminal conduct and so, the money laundering charge in a case can greatly enhance the amount of information that the government and the defense has to work with.

It becomes very interesting to see what government efforts there are, how they are trying to tie the money from several transactions that go into the underlying criminal conduct, and how they’re going to prove that. It does complicate the case, but not in the sense of complicating so it’s not defensible, it just adds a whole other layer to the criminal case because it’s very rare to see a prosecution that’s simply money laundering—usually it’s tied to other alleged criminal activities.

What Are Some Of The Most Common Questions That Individuals Charged With Money Laundering Ask You?

People often ask how the government can trace back this money to criminal activity or how they can prove that he or she knew that the money came from some kind of a criminal enterprise.  Along with that, people also want to know what evidence the government can obtain to prove this, including the seizure of records. Basically, individuals who are being accused of money laundering want to know what can the government actually do and what can they prove.

What Goes Into Building A Defense Against Money Laundering Charges?

The government is going to have to prove that:

1. The money came from some illegal activity
2. The person was aware that the money was tied to criminal activity
3. The person then knowingly tried to conceal it.

To build a defense, you want to be able to look for any areas where you can pick apart the government’s alleged proof of that knowledge. For example– it’s not illegal to have $10,000 in cash, and it’s not illegal to make a large bank deposit. For the government to prove that something was done illegally in a money laundering case, they’re going to have to prove that the money came from something illegal that the person who made the transaction had knowledge that it was illegal and that when the individual did something with that money with the purpose of concealing the fact that it in some way ill-gotten. To build a defense, you’re attacking each link of that chain.

Why Do Clients Choose To Work With You In Money Laundering Cases?

Experience

I have experience working with federal prosecutors on a daily basis. I practice before Maryland and D.C. federal courts, I handle complex litigation, and so clients typically will choose to work with me after they how much experience I have in this area.

Resources

I work at a firm that provides great resources for defending complex cases such as this, so I can bring to the table the knowledge, experience, and resources that are necessary to combat the vast resources that the government is going to throw in a case like this.

Dedication

Lastly, clients typically like to work with me because I truly care about what’s going to happen to them. A case is not just a case—a case is someone’s life. A criminal prosecution, particularly a federal criminal prosecution, is extremely stressful and has extreme consequences on the individual, the individual’s company, the individual’s family, and the individual’s future. I recognize that and hold those important issues for the client very dearly and work very hard to try to minimize any damage to that individual and his life.