If you have had property seized by the police or other government agency 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. Contact the Houston, Texas, law office of Kuniansky & Associates today. We will work diligently to ensure your rights are protected.

How do Money Laundering Schemes operate?
Money laundering is often described as occurring in three stages: placement, layering, and integration.

• Placement: refers to the initial point of entry for funds derived from criminal activities.
• Layering: refers to the creation of complex networks of transactions which attempt to obscure the link between the initial entry point, and the end of the laundering cycle.
• Integration: refers to the return of funds to the legitimate economy for later extraction.

Examples:
Cash transactions and deposits of more than a certain dollar amount are required to be reported as "significant cash transactions" to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), along with any other suspicious financial activity. Methods to conceal the source are therefore required.

Irregular funding:

One method of keeping these transactions private would be for an individual to give money to an intermediary who is already legitimately taking in large amounts of cash. The intermediary would then deposit that money into an account, take a premium, and write a check to the individual. Thus, the individual draws no attention to himself, and can deposit his check into a bank account without drawing suspicion.

Captive business:

Another method involves establishing a business whose cash inflow cannot be monitored, and funneling the small change into this business and paying taxes on it. Such shell companies usually deal directly with the public, perform some service-related activity as opposed to providing physical goods, and reasonably accept cash as a matter of business.

Corrupt politicians and lobbyists also launder money by setting up personal non-profits to move money between trusted organizations, so that donations from inappropriate sources may be illegally used for personal gain.

What are the penalties for Money Laundering?

In the United States, Federal law provides (in part):
"Whoever . . . knowing[ly] . . . conducts or attempts to conduct . . . a financial transaction which in fact involves the proceeds of specified unlawful activity . . . with the intent to promote the carrying on of specified unlawful activity . . . shall be sentenced to a fine of not more than $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved in the transaction, whichever is greater, or imprisonment for not more than twenty years, or both."

 

Do I need a lawyer to represent me if I am innocent?

Every criminal defendant needs an attorney. Innocent defendants are perhaps in even greater need of zealous representation throughout the criminal process to ensure that their rights are protected.

Do I need a lawyer if I simply intend to plead guilty ?

You may not understand the full implications of the crime with which you are charged. Criminal defense attorneys equalize the balance of power between the defendant and the prosecution and ensure that the constitutional rights that are guaranteed to all criminal defendants are preserved.

Richard Kuniansky has over 28 years experience with drug crime cases and handles them on a regular basis. We have a unique understanding of the government's strategy and will work vigorously on our clients' behalf to defend their interests. Contact Kuniansky & Associates today for committed legal advocacy.

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