A Mexican national has pleaded guilty to participating in a money laundering operation that moved more than $1.9 million in U.S. drug proceeds to Mexico through cryptocurrency and wire transfers.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, 60-year-old Daniel Gordiano Valenzuela served as a “money broker” for an organization that worked with drug traffickers to launder proceeds from narcotics sales.
Federal prosecutors said Gordiano Valenzuela personally arranged the laundering of $1,973,076 and used a network of co-conspirators to collect bulk cash at locations across the United States.
After the cash was collected, Gordiano Valenzuela provided instructions for transferring the money through cryptocurrency or wire transfers, ultimately moving the proceeds to Mexico. In return, prosecutors said he received a commission representing a percentage of the money successfully laundered.
Gordiano Valenzuela, who was living in Mexico when he was arrested, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering.
He is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 19 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. His sentence will be determined by a federal district court judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The DEA Detroit Field Division and IRS Criminal Investigation Detroit investigated the case, working with DEA offices in Austin, Lexington, Mexico, Houston, Tulsa, Chicago and Youngstown, Ohio, as well as the agency’s Special Operations Division.
The Justice Department’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky are prosecuting the case.
The prosecution is also part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established under President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14159. The federal initiative brings agencies together to investigate and prosecute cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations and human smuggling and trafficking networks.
Gordiano Valenzuela’s guilty plea establishes his criminal liability, but his sentence has not yet been determined.
About the Author
Discover more from Right Now Oregon
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
