Brizendine, an attorney, conspired with John Melvin Walker, the owner of a chain of marijuana stores in Los Angeles and Orange counties, to hide some of his income. Walker generated approximately $25 million in income over a six-year period.
According to court documents, Brizendine agreed to accept more than $10,000 in cash and then make smaller deposits into different bank accounts so as to not trigger federal requirements that financial institutions report currency transactions of more than $10,000.
By pleading guilty, Brizendine specifically admitted that he structured approximately $389,700 for Walker.
The case against Brizendine was announced today after Judge James V. Selna unsealed documents associated with the case.
Last year, Walker was sentenced to nearly 22 years in federal prison for operating a chain of marijuana stores and failing to report millions of dollars in revenues on his taxes.
Brizendine will face a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison when he is sentenced on May 4, 2015. He was released on a $500,000 bond pending his sentencing.
The investigation of Brizendine and the marijuana operation was conducted by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, IRS-Criminal Investigation, the California Board of Equalization, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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