If you have been charged under the Bank Secrecy Act, the Money Laundering Control Act or the USA Patriot Act it is critical to your case that you hire effective legal representation right away: do not risk having your rights violated by neglecting to retain a skilled, experienced criminal defense attorney. The Houston Texas law office of Kuniansky & Associates will work diligently to ensure your rights are protected.

Money Laundering is the practice of engaging in financial transactions in order to conceal the identity, source, and/or destination of money, and is a main operation of the underground economy.

In the past, the term "money laundering" was applied only to financial transactions related to organized crime. Today its definition is often expanded by government regulators to encompass any financial transaction which generates an asset or a value as the result of an illegal act, which may involve actions such as tax evasion or false accounting.

Not only are money laundering prosecutions becoming more common, the penalties are often quite severe. It is a common tactic for a federal prosecutor to include money laundering and forfeiture allegations in an indictment. The money laundering crimes often carry harsher penalties than the underlying crime that created the money in the first place. Furthermore, prosecutors use these crimes to try and take away the defendants assets, as well as putting him or her in jail.

The increasing complexity of financial crime has led to an increased prominence of money laundering in political, economic, and legal debate.

Money Laundering Laws :

The Bank Secrecy Act of 1970 requires banks to report cash transactions of $10,000.01 or more. The Money Laundering Control Act of 1986 further defined money laundering as a federal crime. The USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 expanded the scope of prior laws to more types of financial institutions, added a focus on terrorist financing, and specified that financial institutions take specific actions to "know your customer" (KYC).

Many people have concerns about the apparently broad application of these statutes, especially when they reach into legitimate business activities. A common example of this concern is a scenario where an individual or business handles money with no knowledge of any criminal origin, which could result in prosecution for money laundering in federal court.

At Kuniansky & Associates we have the skills necessary to effectively defend individuals and corporations charged with a range of serious federal and state crimes. We are committed to providing personal attention to every client and have a deep understanding of prosecutorial strategies, conducting thorough investigations and preparation in every case. We have more than 30 years of valuable trial experience to bring to your defense.

If you believe you may be under federal or state investigation for a crime, it is critical to your case that you hire a qualified criminal defense attorney right away. The law office of Kuniansky & Associates will work diligently to ensure your rights are protected.

---