Baltimore, Maryland – In a shocking turn of events, a high-profile defense attorney has been brought to justice for his involvement in a money laundering conspiracy. Kenneth Wendell Ravenell, a 63-year-old attorney from Monkton, Maryland, was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release for his role in the conspiracy.
The sentencing, which took place on an undisclosed date in 2022, was announced by First Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Phil Selden, Special Agent in Charge Darrell J. Waldon of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office, and Assistant Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore District Office. The United States Attorney had recused himself from the case.
The trial evidence revealed that Ravenell received drug proceeds from clients and associates who engaged in drug trafficking. He used the law firm’s bank accounts to launder more than a million dollars, received drug payments, and made payments to attorneys retained to represent other members of the conspiracy. Ravenell also advised a drug dealer on how to launder millions of dollars in cash generated from marijuana sales.
According to the trial evidence, Ravenell advised the drug dealer to set up businesses that generated cash themselves and make investments in real estate projects to launder drug proceeds. The drug dealer’s business activities were mainly in entertainment, where he organized concerts and other events. Drug proceeds were used to pay expenses, and attendees to these events largely paid in cash for their tickets, providing a second opportunity to launder money.
Between 2011 and 2014, Ravenell personally laundered his client’s drug proceeds using the firm’s attorney trust account. He accepted more than $1.8 million in drug proceeds and funds co-mingled with drug proceeds from entities and individuals associated with the drug dealer. Ravenell also directed the payment of more than $1.2 million of these drug proceeds from the law firm’s accounts to various projects and third parties to benefit his client.
Ravenell’s purpose in accepting and disbursing these funds was to conceal the source of the funds as drug proceeds and promote his client’s on-going marijuana distribution activities. In 2013, a client facing federal narcotics charges paid Ravenell more than $350,000 in drug proceeds through an associate of the client. Ravenell instructed the associate to convert the drug proceeds into money orders and other instruments to conceal the source of the funds.
Ravenell, a 63-year-old attorney, was convicted of conspiracy to commit money laundering charge on December 28, 2021, after a 16-day trial. He is currently serving a 57-month prison sentence, followed by three years of supervised release. The case serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of money laundering and the consequences of engaging in such activities.
Related Federal Cases
- Official 1 Name Not Given, Money Laundering, Washington (D.C.) 2023 · California
- Rachel Gabrielle Hertz Faces Money Laundering Charges, Washington D… · District of Columbia
- Jared K. Weinberg, Money Laundering, Pittsburgh PA, 2023 · Maryland
- Richard Shusterman, Wire Fraud Conspiracy, Maryland 2024 · New York
- James Durrette, Heroin Conspiracy, Maryland 2017 · California
Key Facts
- State: Maryland
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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