CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A former fugitive and furniture store owner has been handed a significant federal sentence following his convictions of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments and conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine, announced United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson today.
J Jose Francisco Serna, of Mission, pleaded guilty Nov. 19, 2012, to his involvement in a South Texas drug-trafficking and money laundering organization that used his furniture store as a business front to launder illegal drug proceeds.
According to court documents, Serna was arrested in August 2012 after having been a fugitive in Mexico for several years. His conviction relates to his participation in the organization that used his furniture store as a front to launder drug proceeds. The store, located in McAllen, was owned and operated by Serna, who allegedly began a drug venture on the side of his legitimate business with two associates.
Serna created a legitimate trucking company, Four Seasons Transport, to transport secreted cocaine and currency between Mission and Atlanta, Ga. Cocaine was hidden in an axle of the tractor truck and was removed at stash houses in Lithonia and Savannah, Ga. Serna would then receive drug proceeds at his ranch in Mission, where he received cocaine loads from Mexico for further distribution north to Georgia and South Carolina.
It was discovered that Serna used multiple bank accounts to hide the drug proceeds he had received, including his furniture business account. The Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation leading to the criminal charges was conducted in Corpus Christi, led by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service–Criminal Investigation, and the U.S. Marshals Service. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Julie K. Hampton.
U.S. District Judge John D. Rainey accepted Serna’s guilty plea and handed him respective terms of 96 months on each count to be served concurrently for the drug and money laundering convictions. Serna was further ordered to pay a $5,000 fine on the money laundering count. He will also be required to serve a term of four years of supervised release following completion of the prison term. Serna’s interest in a South Texas ranch, valued at more than $300,000, was also ordered to be forfeited.
Serna will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. The investigation and prosecution of Serna’s case is a significant blow to the South Texas drug-trafficking and money laundering organization.
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Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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