Leopoldo Aguilera, 57, of Tijuana, Mexico, stood in federal court on May 9, 2019, facing charges that he funneled $7.4 million in drug profits through Wells Fargo accounts he controlled — cash tied directly to the sale of fentanyl across the Midwest. Once a trusted personal banker, Aguilera is now accused of weaponizing his position to serve a Mexico-based money laundering ring operating out of San Diego.
FBI agents arrested Aguilera on May 2, 2019, after a months-long investigation revealed he opened 26 Wells Fargo accounts — 11 under fake identities — to move drug money across borders. Using falsified passports, names, and birth dates, he cleared the way for 229 international wire transfers, most of them personally executed by him. The funds, investigators say, stemmed from multi-kilogram fentanyl sales orchestrated by traffickers in Mexico.
Of the $7.4 million laundered, $3.1 million moved through the 11 fraudulent accounts alone. The scheme relied on Aguilera’s insider access and knowledge of banking protocols, allowing the criminal network to fly under radar systems meant to catch suspicious transactions. He wasn’t just a facilitator — he was a key node in an international financial pipeline feeding the opioid crisis.
In exchange, Aguilera collected approximately $4,000 in cash — a pittance compared to the scale of the operation, but enough to seal his fate. The FBI’s San Diego Cross Border Violence Task Force, working with Wells Fargo’s internal investigators in Arizona and California, traced the web of accounts and flagged irregularities that led directly to his doorstep.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Jill L. Burkhardt ordered Aguilera released on a $40,000 bond backed by two financially responsible adults. He is under home detention with GPS monitoring as the case proceeds. Case Number: 19-MJ-1801-JLB.
Aguilera is charged with bank fraud under 18 U.S.C. 1344, which carries a maximum penalty of thirty years in prison and a $1 million fine. The prosecution is led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Blanca Quintero. The FBI seized 17 organization-linked accounts containing at least $160,000. The charges remain allegations; Aguilera is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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