Money Laundering

Defense of Federal Money Laundering Charges

If you or your business has been charged with money laundering or if you have come under federal investigation for financial offenses related to drug trafficking or fraud, please contact Houston criminal defense lawyers Stan Schneider and Ned Barnett for a free initial consultation about your problem. They collaborate to provide experienced and thoroughgoing client service at all stages of a criminal case, from initial investigation through sentencing and appeal.

We represent clients throughout Texas and across the United States who have been accused of receiving, transferring, concealing, or investing funds related to unlawful activity, such as drug trafficking or mortgage fraud. Any financial transaction that tends to obscure the source of funds or that on its face mischaracterizes its essential nature or purpose, can potentially result in a money laundering charge, especially if the prosecution can draw a plausible connection between the transaction and a more obvious criminal offense.

Money laundering can be charged in a broad range of situations, including:

Loan transactions financed with the proceeds of drug distribution, illegal gambling profits, prostitution, or any other criminal enterprise
Mischaracterization of the source of revenues or other income on financial statements
Knowing participation on either side of a cash sales transaction involving real estate, motor vehicles, jewelry, rare coins, or other property, where the funds or property transferred derive from illegal activity
Substantial cash deposits into bank or securities accounts structured so as to avoid individual transaction reporting obligations on the part of the financial institution
International wire transfers or currency exchange transactions that are difficult to connect to legitimate business purchases
The use of front companies, fictitious entities, or offshore accounts to conceal the source or destination of funds

Money laundering is a highly flexible charge that can be used by federal prosecutors to obtain convictions in drug or white collar crime cases despite a lack of evidence on charges more directly related to the original investigation. Experienced defense attorneys know how to analyze money laundering charges in terms of financial detail, documentation, and the defendant's state of mind to help ensure that the prosecution cannot simply rely on financial offenses as an easy route to conviction in a complex drug or fraud case.

For the advice and representation of an experienced criminal defense attorney regarding any federal money laundering charge, please contact Stan Schneider and Ned Barnett in Houston.

The federal criminal defense team of Stan Schneider and Ned Barnett in Houston represent people and companies facing serious or complex charges such as drug trafficking, mortgage fraud, healthcare fraud, or violations of international law in the federal courts of Texas, other federal jurisdictions around the United States, and international tribunals around the world. Our local clients come from such communities as Houston, Brownsville, Beaumont, Waco, San Antonio, Dallas, McAllen, Hidalgo, Sugar Land, Conroe, League City, Galveston, Pearland, Angleton, Friendswood, NASA, Memorial, The Woodlands, Baytown, Harris County, Montgomery County, Brazoria County, Galveston County, Fort Bend County, Jefferson County, and communities along the Texas Gulf Coast. We have represented clients in the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western Districts of Texas; in all federal appellate courts, and in the United States Supreme Court. We have also represented clients facing federal charges throughout the United States.