Financial Crime World

Title: “14 Individuals Indicted for Money Laundering and Narcotics Offenses in Puerto Rico: $3 Million in Assets Seized”

Overview

  • A federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico indicted 14 individuals on March 10, 2023, for money laundering and narcotics offenses.
  • The defendants are accused of transferring over $5 million in drug trafficking proceeds through the US financial system, laundering over $5 million.
  • The conspiracy allegedly involved drug trafficking within the US, specifically in Puerto Rico, and transferring funds to foreign countries, such as Colombia.

Indicted Individuals

  1. Carlos Javier Ruiz-Patiño (aka ‘Hustler Man,’ ‘Jordan,’ or ‘El Chamo’)
  2. Roberto Brioso-Canario
  3. David Luis Zapata-Félix
  4. Walter Alexis Daynes-Torres
  5. Jesús Alberto Oriol-Cabán
  6. Guillermo Andrés Beltrán-Osorio
  7. Enmanuel Matos-Matos
  8. Edgardo Delgado-Carmona
  9. Rafael Cruz-Montalvo
  10. Edgar Omar Báez-Vargas
  11. Franky Pagán-Mendoza
  12. Three undisclosed defendants

Charges and Transactions

  • The indictment includes 62 counts, detailing 51 financial transactions ranging from $16,036.90 to $1,109,960.
  • Carlos Javier Ruiz-Patiño is charged with international money laundering and is believed to have transferred over $964,944.35 from Puerto Rico to Colombia and Canada.

Assets Seized

  • The seized assets include:
    • A Cessna Model 310Q airplane
    • Seizure of U.S. currency totaling over $3 million

Law Enforcement Partners and Quotes

  • United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico, W. Stephen Muldrow: “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to uprooting transnational criminal organizations that distribute illicit substances, launder ill-gotten proceeds, and undermine our society.”
  • Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Caribbean Division, Denise Foster: [Quote].

Penalties

  • The defendants could face a maximum term of 20 years in prison for money laundering offenses and a mandatory minimum term of 10 years with the possibility of life imprisonment for narcotics offenses if convicted.

Investigation and Prosecution

  • The DEA and its partners, including the FBI, HSI, IRS, and Puerto Rico Police Bureau, led the investigation.
  • Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel J. Olinghouse of the Asset Recovery and Money Laundering Division is overseeing the prosecution.