Cleveland Heights resident Jack Paskin, 35, was handed a nine-month prison sentence on September 16 for his role in a $337,000 money laundering scheme tied to the illegal sale of controlled substances.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that Paskin, who also faced three years of supervised release, admitted to facilitating the shipment of wholesale marijuana from Ohio to West Virginia. Court documents revealed the shipments were directed to addresses provided by Merrick Rice, who in turn sold the drugs to distributors in the region.
Paskin is accused of controlling or having signatory authority over bank accounts into which proceeds from Rice’s sales were deposited. He acknowledged that he knew the funds originated from illegal drug sales and that he personally withdrew $30,000 in cash from one account.
Merrick Rice, 45, of Mullens, West Virginia, and Miranda Aliff, 33, of Rock Creek, have also faced justice for their roles in structuring transactions to evade currency transaction reporting requirements. Rice was sentenced to one year and three months in prison and three years of supervised release, while Aliff received five years of federal probation.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston praised the collaborative efforts of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Internal Revenue Service, and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in bringing Paskin to justice. Chief United States District Judge Frank W. Volk imposed the sentence, with Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage leading the prosecution.
For more information and related court documents, visit the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia or search PACER using Case No. 5:24-cr-122.
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Key Facts
- State: West Virginia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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