Oklahoma AG announces new division in partnership with HSI to combat money laundering in the state

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt on Thursday announced the creation of an Anti-Money Laundering Division at the Oklahoma Attorney General's Office.

Attorney General Pruitt said the Anti-Money Laundering Division will partner with special agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HS) allowing both agencies to marshal resources in a cost-effective and efficient manner.

The division will be a part of the Attorney General's Multicounty Grand Jury Unit, and it will provide Oklahoma with the first comprehensive, statewide focus on combating criminal money laundering activities.

The division will utilize teams of prosecutors, federal special agents and forensic accountants to investigate and prosecute money laundering cases. The Anti-Money Laundering Division also will provide training materials and courses for use by district attorneys, law enforcement and its other partners in Oklahoma.

"The Anti-Money Laundering Division will provide a comprehensive focus on combating criminal money laundering activities throughout the state," Attorney General Pruitt said. "Oklahoma's central location and interstate highways unfortunately mean we are in the center of trafficking by criminal enterprises. Every day in cities across Oklahoma, the proceeds from drug, firearm and human trafficking by criminal enterprises are laundered in a variety of ways. Until now, no statewide program of anti-money laundering existed in Oklahoma. These investigations will focus on seizing the assets of criminal enterprises. Assets and operations can outlast the prosecution and incarceration of any individual member of a criminal organization. By seizing assets and disrupting the criminal enterprise, we can more effectively combat organized crime in Oklahoma."

Attorney General Pruitt said, "Working with Homeland Security Investigations, the Anti-Money Laundering Division of the Attorney General's Office will serve as a primary source of information on Oklahoma's anti-money laundering statutes for prosecutors and law enforcement officers."

The new division will be led by Assistant Attorney General Kris Jarvis. Before joining the Attorney General's Office in 2013, Jarvis was an assistant U.S. attorney for the Western District of Texas in El Paso, and he served as a special assistant U.S. attorney for the District of New Mexico. During his time in New Mexico, Jarvis coordinated an anti-money laundering strike team for the southern half of the state.

"As a former federal prosecutor, Kris brings the dedication, experience and expertise to the Anti-Money Laundering Division necessary to make a difference by prosecuting money laundering cases," Attorney General Pruitt said.

The Anti-Money Laundering Division has already been active in Oklahoma, conducting multiple ongoing investigations. To date, the division has shut down a heroin distribution and money laundering ring in Bethany, helped seize more than 13 pounds of methamphetamine, and arrested criminal bulk cash smugglers on Oklahoma highways. In addition, at the Tulsa International Airport, the new division stopped a large counterfeit products operation in the Tulsa area, conducted a human trafficking sting in the Oklahoma City metro area, and assisted in disrupting two of the largest methamphetamine distribution operations in the Oklahoma City area. In each instance, the division also has seized significant assets.

In addition to the Homeland Security Investigations, the Anti-Money Laundering Division will partner and coordinate with the FBI, the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, and other local, state and federal partners on investigations.