If you own any type of business, it is possible that you deal in cash a lot of the time. However, depositing a large amount of cash when it is not necessary to do so can raise suspicions of money laundering. This white-collar crime can have very serious consequences, which is why it’s very important that you take swift action to defend yourself if you are accused of such a crime.
Money laundering is the act of transferring or dealing with money that you know was involved in a crime. Most often, money laundering is related to drug and organized crimes like robbery. However, money laundering is considered such if it is associated with any type of crime.
What are the elements of a money laundering crime?
In order to be found guilty of money laundering, you must transfer money that was generated from a criminal enterprise. You must also have knowledge, or should have had knowledge, about the true source of the funds with which you dealt.
What are some common defenses to a money laundering accusation?
Given the key elements of the crime, it is possible to defend yourself from a money laundering accusation by arguing that you had no knowledge of the fact that the money had come from illegal sources. In order to convince the courts of this, the circumstances around the source of the money should not be obviously suspicious. Otherwise, the prosecution will likely argue that you simply should have known that the money was coming from suspicious sources and are therefore still culpable for the crime.
Another defense that many use in regard to money laundering is that they were forced to recirculate the money because of threats of violence. It is possible for drug gangs to threaten people into transferring their money, but it must be shown that serious threats were used in order for it to be considered a legitimate defense.
If you have been accused of money laundering in the state of Texas, it is important to take action quickly so that you are able to bolster your defense strategy.