Baton Rouge Man Pleads Guilty to Transferring $4.6M in Criminal Proceeds
Donovan J. Barker, a 59-year-old resident of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has pleaded guilty to operating an unlicensed money transmitting business.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Barker was involved in a conspiracy to distribute carisoprodol, tramadol, and other substances from September 2012 to May 2016. He accepted bulk drug shipments at his home and mailed them to individual purchasers. Following a seizure of over 50,000 dosage units of tramadol and carisoprodol in January 2013, Barker began operating as a money transmitter for the individuals involved in the scheme.
Barker formed and operated several business entities, including Quantum Information Technologies, Caring Partners 1, LLC, Don Western Sky, LLC, Life Positive Services, LLC, and Healthy Life 1, LLC, to assist the scheme. Between October 2012 and February 2016, Barker received over $4.6 million in payments from individuals across the United States, including more than $1.3 million in credit card payments and over $750,000 in checks and money orders.
The money was then wired to other individuals and businesses, including foreign bank accounts in the Philippines, India, China, and Canada. Barker faces a significant term of imprisonment, a fine, and a period of supervised release for his crimes.
Barker’s conviction demonstrates the government’s commitment to dismantling the networks of drug traffickers and keeping dangerous substances off the streets. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies worked together to obtain this conviction.
The defendant, Donovan J. Barker, is scheduled to be sentenced at a later date. He faces a significant term of imprisonment, a fine, and a period of supervised release for his crimes.
Barker’s crimes include operating an unlicensed money transmitting business, which involved accepting and transmitting over $4.6 million in payments from individuals across the United States.
The case was investigated by the IRS – Criminal Investigations and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Louisiana.
Key Facts
- State: Louisiana
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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