Press Release
TWO INDIVIDUALS AND A MIAMI COMPANY INDICTED ON CHARGES OF UNLICENSED MONEY REMITTING
March 11, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Anthony V. Mangione, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Office of Investigations, announced today the unsealing of a six (6) count Indictment charging defendants Luis Franco, Jaime Garcia, and J & M USA Trading, Inc. with conducting a money transmitting business without the required license in connection with the transfer of more than three million dollars from abroad into the United States, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1960. The defendants are also charged with conspiring to defraud the United States and obstruct justice, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371, and with making false statements and perjury during the investigation.
Defendants Franco and Garcia were arrested on Tuesday, March 10, 2009, and are scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephen T. Brown at 1:30 p.m. today. If convicted of all charges in the Indictment, defendant Franco faces a statutory maximum penalty of fifteen (15) years' imprisonment and defendant Garcia faces a statutory maximum penalty of thirty (30) years’ imprisonment. In addition, the Indictment seeks forfeiture of $119,830.00 seized from Franco on March 7, 2004.
As alleged in the Indictment, defendant Franco was transporting cash in dollars from Colombia and delivering them to J & M USA Trading, Inc., located in Miami, for a fee. Garcia was an officer of the company. The Indictment alleges that Franco, Garcia and J&M USA Trading, Inc. were operating a money transmitting business that was not licensed by the State of Florida or registered with the Department of Treasury. The Indictment further alleges that Franco, Garcia, and J&M USA Trading, Inc. conspired to mislead the investigators through false documents and false statements and testimony.
This case is the result of ICE’s investigative efforts to identify and dismantle international criminal networks using the Black Market Peso Exchange (BMPE) as a means of repatriating illegal proceeds through South Florida. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Eric Morales and Daren Grove.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
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