NEW YORK – In a stunning blow to international crime, the U.S. Department of Justice announced the unsealing of a Superseding Indictment charging Maximilién de Hoop Cartier, a purported member of the esteemed Cartier family known for luxury jewelry, and five Colombian nationals with conspiring to commit money laundering and narcotics trafficking.
According to the indictment, Cartier, 35, of Miami, Florida, and his co-conspirators laundered millions of dollars in cryptocurrency connected to the U.S. dollar, which was derived from drug trafficking operations, through the U.S. to Colombia. The scheme allegedly involved the use of U.S.-based shell companies and bank accounts to operate an unlicensed over-the-counter cryptocurrency exchange.
Cartier is also charged with money laundering, bank fraud, engaging in a monetary transaction in property derived from bank fraud, and operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. The indictment alleges that Cartier’s operation resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of unlawful transactions.
The Superseding Indictment also charges Leonardo de Jesus Zuluaga Duque, 42, of Colombia, Erica Milena Lopez Ortiz, 38, of Colombia, Felipe Estrada Echeverry, 40, of Colombia, Alexander Egido Areiza Ceballos, 29, of Colombia, and Adrian Fernando Areiza Ceballos, 31, of Colombia, with conspiring to import more than 100 kilograms of cocaine into the U.S.
The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York, FBI Assistant Director in Charge James Smith, HSI Special Agent in Charge Ivan J. Arvelo, and IRS-CI Executive Special Agent in Charge Kareem A. Carter.
“The charges brought today demonstrate this Office’s commitment to prosecuting international drug traffickers and piercing complicated money laundering networks seeking to exploit the U.S. financial system,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “As alleged, Maximilien de Hoop Cartier, Leonardo de Jesus Zuluaga Duque, Erica Milena Lopez Ortiz, and Felipe Estrada Echeverry were members of a network that laundered millions of dollars’ worth of drug trafficking proceeds using cryptocurrency and the U.S. financial system.”
In a statement, FBI Assistant Director in Charge Smith said, “Maximilien de Hoop Cartier and five Colombian nationals allegedly attempted to import more than 100 kilograms of cocaine and laundered hundreds of millions of dollars – including revenue from drug trafficking operations – through an unlicensed cryptocurrency exchange to transfer illicit funds from the United States to Colombia.”
Cartier was arrested on February 22, 2024, in Miami, Florida, and presented before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the Southern District of Florida. The five Colombian nationals were taken into custody by Colombian authorities on April 30, 2024. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil.
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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