Money laundering is a white collar crime that has to be addressed very carefully. Oftentimes, these charges come with considerable evidence from the prosecution. You have to think about the paper trail and other evidence that might be present in these cases.
This crime occurs when a person who gets money from illegal means tries to put it through channels to make it look like it was obtained legally. There are very specific laws that address this issue, so you should make sure that you understand this if you are facing these charges.
When they were first passed, the laws against money laundering were meant to prevent the mafia from being able to legally transfer money. The focus of money laundering laws has started to shift from the mafia to the drug trade.
While many people think that they can only money launder if they use a financial institution, this isn’t the case. Money that is obtained illegally can’t be transferred from one person to another in any legal manner.
Money laundering laws require that financial institutions report transactions larger than $10,000. This is one of the reasons why many people choose to deal in smaller amounts of money, but smaller transactions don’t necessarily mean that you will be able to avoid money laundering charges.
If you are facing these charges, one necessary step is that you have to go over the paper trail that the prosecution has for the case. This might present opportunities for points you can bring up in your defense. Ultimately, you have to decide what direction you want your case to move in so think very carefully about each option.
Source: FindLaw, “Money Laundering,” accessed Nov. 24, 2017
