Jesus Rodriguez-Jimenez, the leader of an international money laundering operation, was sentenced to 30 years in prison by United States District Judge Katherine B. Forrest in Manhattan federal court, according to a statement from Geoffrey S. Berman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
Rodriguez-Jimenez ran an international money laundering business with ties to Mexico, Italy, Hungary, Panama, and China, facilitating the movement of hundreds of millions of dollars in drug proceeds on behalf of drug cartels in Mexico and Central America.
Through a web of front companies, shell bank accounts, and money couriers throughout the United States and Europe, Rodriguez-Jimenez successfully laundered in excess of $250 million, directly facilitating the trafficking of massive quantities of narcotics throughout the world.
“Jesus Rodriguez-Jimenez led an international money laundering operation that handled the proceeds of cocaine and heroin trafficking by Mexican and Central American cartels,” said Berman. “The Rodriguez-Jimenez organization laundered more than a quarter of a billion dollars in illegal drug trafficking proceeds through front companies, sham bank accounts, and money drops in several U.S. cities. Thanks to the efforts of the DEA, Rodriguez-Jimenez will now spend considerable time in prison for his crimes,” he added.
Since July 2013, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) has been investigating Rodriguez-Jimenez’s international money laundering organization and its cartel clients, which together have been involved in trafficking hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and heroin, among other narcotics, and laundering narcotics proceeds through a variety of methods, including through a network of shell corporations under their control.
Through a network of front companies, couriers, and his own armored car company, Rodriguez-Jimenez succeeded in repatriating millions of drug dollars from the streets of New York, Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, and other cities across the United States, back to cartel interests in Mexico. By introducing these drug dollars into the banking system, Rodriguez-Jimenez was able to move money wherever the cartel interests directed it, including repatriating this value to Mexico through trade-based money laundering.
Rodriguez-Jimenez controlled his laundering empire through fear and intimidation. For example, in July 2015, pursuant to the investigation, the DEA seized $100,000 in drug money in Atlanta from Organization courier Sergio Urbina (ultimately a co-defendant of Rodriguez-Jimenez). When he learned of the seizure, Rodriguez-Jimenez ordered Urbina to come to Monterrey, Mexico, to explain himself.
In total, Rodriguez-Jimenez laundered at least $250 million on behalf of the cartels during the course of the scheme.
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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