South Texas man sentenced to 14 years for money laundering conspiracy
BROWNSVILLE, Texas — A Mexican man residing in Brownsville was sentenced Tuesday to 14 years in federal prison for conspiring to commit international money laundering.
This sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson, Southern District of Texas. This investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Oscar J. Aguilar, 38, a Mexican citizen legally residing in Brownsville, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen, to 168 months in federal prison. Aguilar was further ordered to pay a $1,893,170 money judgment which represented the proceeds of drug smuggling that were laundered in the scheme. He is expected to face deportation proceedings after he’s released from prison. Aguilar pleaded guilty to the charges May 16.
“HSI special agents often investigate complex financial schemes to disrupt and dismantle transnational criminal organizations,” said Janice Ayala, special agent in charge of HSI San Antonio. “Our investigations deprive criminal organizations from profiting from their crimes, and prevent them from continuing their ongoing criminal enterprise. HSI will continue to aggressively investigate criminal schemes that jeopardize the integrity of our financial system.”
According to court documents, Aguilar admitted recruiting nine others, some of whom were family members, to open bank accounts at Bank of America in Brownsville. Later, co-conspirators in Florida deposited money from narcotics sales into these accounts. Aguilar’s recruits withdrew money in amounts under the $10,000 federal reporting requirement, and then gave that money to Aguilar or other co-conspirators. These recruits were paid for moving criminal profits through their bank accounts.
After Aguilar received the money, he facilitated its crossing from Brownsville to Matamoros, Mexico, where it was delivered to the Gulf Cartel.
From September 2008 through November 2012, the conspirators moved about $1,893,170 through nine bank accounts; nearly $1.5 million was moved from September 2011 through November 2012 alone.
Nine others have been convicted in connection with this case. With the exception of Francisco Jesus Arambul-Cortez, who also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit international money laundering, the eight others entered guilty pleas to operating an unlicensed money transmitting business.
Aguilar will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen Betancourt and Joseph Leonard, Southern District of Texas, prosecuted this case.
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