If you have been charged with money laundering, you shouldn’t depend on just any attorney to defend your case. You need a money laundering lawyer near you with extensive experience defending this type of crime. Here at Smith & Eulo we have some of the finest criminal defense attorneys, with over 100 years of combined experience servicing an extensive area of the state of Florida. The Smith & Eulo’s lawyers are ready to represent you or your loved one, call us now.
The United States and the state of Florida have strengthened their efforts in investigating and prosecuting money laundering cases including digital assets known as cryptocurrency. In recent years with the increased advances in technology agencies responsible for controlling the sources of money have been able to increase their arrests and convictions for those white-collar crimes.
What is Money Laundering?
Money laundering is a federal crime and it involves the unlawful practice of hiding the source of illegally obtained funds through transactions intended to hide the source, identity, quantity, or destination of the proceeds. Money laundering includes the process of making money from criminal activities that appear to have come from a legitimate source.
Money laundering can be a criminal charge either at the state or federal level. The goal of money laundering laws is to penalize people or organizations using financial transactions to hide the proceeds of unlawful activities in the state of Florida. Some activities involved in money laundering schemes may include the sale, purchase, loans, wire transfers, bank deposits, currency exchange, cryptocurrency exchange, and so on. The burden of proof is on the prosecutor or state attorney to show the defendant knew about the primary criminal activity involved in the source of the money or the unlawful source of the proceeds.
Having an experienced criminal defense lawyer on your side can help you defend against accusations of money laundering by arguing on a lack of knowledge regarding the source of the money or the intended purpose of the money. In addition, in some cases, there could be an entrapment arranged by police or law enforcement officials.
Under Florida state law the sentence for money laundering will depend on the value of the financial transactions. The basis for sentencing may include the following:
Third-degree felony: if the transaction values a total of $300 to $20,000 in a twelve-month period
Second-degree felony: for transactions between $20,000 to $100,00 in a twelve-month period
First-degree felony: for transactions over $100,000 in a twelve-month period
In addition to prison sentencing the defendant may also be required to pay a state fine of $250,000 or double the amount of the financial transactions. If a defendant has prior convictions for money laundering, the fine may increase to $500,000 or even five times the total amount of the financial transactions.
Money laundering cases are complicated and require a special set of skills and knowledge to handle them appropriately. The Smith & Eulo Law Firm has competent and experienced criminal defense attorneys who have handled many cases of money laundering.
If you or your loved one find themselves in a situation where you are being accused of Money Laundering, call us right away at 407-930-8912 to speak with a qualified legal professional or fill out the contact form on this page. We’re available 24/7, we offer free initial consultation and payment plans. In addition to our Orlando location, we have offices in the following cities across the state of Florida:
- Daytona Beach
- Kissimmee
- Melbourne
- Lakeland
- Ocala
- Tampa
- Fort Myers
- Sanford
- Miami
- Jacksonville
- Fort Lauderdale
- Sarasota
- Clearwater
*Additional Orlando Florida & Orange County Legal Resources