Edwin Deleon-Batista, Identity Fraud and Money Laundering, New Jersey 2023

Newark Man Sentenced to 8 Years in Prison for $23 Million Identity Fraud and Money Laundering Scheme

NEWARK, NJ - Edwin Deleon-Batista, a 37-year-old resident of Newark, New Jersey, was sentenced to 96 months in prison on March 3, 2023 for his role in a large international money laundering conspiracy and using a stolen identity in furtherance of the scheme.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, Deleon-Batista laundered over $23 million in cash drug proceeds on behalf of a money laundering organization with close ties to drug trafficking organizations in the Dominican Republic and elsewhere. He picked up large amounts of cash drug proceeds in New Jersey, New York, and Florida and laundered it by purchasing cashier’s checks at local bank branches.

The checks were made payable to individuals and companies specified by the leaders of the money laundering organization. By converting the drug proceeds to cashier’s checks, Deleon-Batista tried to hide the source of the illegal cash and avoid scrutiny by law enforcement and banks.

Deleon-Batista was previously arrested on federal money laundering charges in New York on April 1, 2019. Soon after his arrest, Deleon-Batista began using a stolen identity and obtained a fraudulent identification card issued by the State of Florida to continue the money laundering scheme.

He used the fraudulent ID card to open several bank accounts, which he then used as a means to convert millions more in cash drug proceeds into cashier’s checks at bank branches in New Jersey, New York, and Florida over a five-month period.

Deleon-Batista was sentenced to three years of supervised release in addition to the prison term. Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig credited the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, IRS - Criminal Investigation, Morristown, New Jersey, police department, and the Direccion Nacional de Control de Drogas (Dominican Republic National Drug Directorate) with the investigation leading to the sentencing.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan M. Peck of the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Unit in Newark. This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/pr/essex-county-man-sentenced-eight-years-prison-role-23-million-identity-fraud-and-money