The offense of money laundering is understandable in its simplest form such as where one is accused of using cash proceeds of an alleged crime to purchase an item such as a car. However, in its more complex forms, such as facilitation, structuring or layering, the crime of money laundering is hard to understand and often times those charged with money laundering do not even realize that there actions may be criminal.
Are you facing a Federal criminal investigation, have you received a “target letter” from an Assistant United States Attorney or a Federal Grand Jury Subpoena, had a Federal Search Warrant executed at your work or home, or actually been arrested by Federal authorities?
At Houlon Berman, we have over 50 years of experience representing clients in criminal matters in Maryland and the District of Columbia. We take pride in the results we get for our clients.
Our Managing Partner, Richard A. Finci, has many years of experience defending Federal criminal cases and is well-known for defending clients before the United States District Court in Greenbelt, Baltimore and the District of Columbia.
Every criminal charge has elements which the Government must prove to the jury beyond a reasonable doubt. The jury must reach a unanimous decision, and the jurors must presume that you are innocent unless proven guilty.
If you are charged with Money Laundering, the elements of the offense (the concealment form of this offense) are:
1) the Defendant conducted or attempted to conduct a financial transaction having at least a de minimis effect on interstate commerce or involving the use of a financial institution which has at least a de minimis effect on interstate commerce;
2) the property that was the subject of the transaction involved the proceeds of specified unlawful activity
3) the Defendant knew that the property involved represented the proceeds of some form of unlawful activity
4) the Defendant knew that the transaction was designed, in whole or in part, to conceal or disguise the nature, the location, the source, the ownership or the control of the proceeds of the unlawful activity.
At Houlon Berman, we focus on establishing your defense by attacking each element of the offense, by investigating and attacking the credibility of the witness and the evidence against you and by investigating and proving any affirmative defenses that may be available to you.
Of course, it is well known that many cases end in plea agreements. If your cases is one in which a plea agreement is desirable or otherwise offers you real options that cannot be ignored, at Houlon Berman, we will fight to obtain the best possible plea agreement for you, explain everything that goes into obtaining such an agreement, and make sure that you are fully comfortable with the decisions you will need to make.
Expertise in and understanding of the United States Sentencing Guidelines is critically important in the defense of any Federal Criminal charge.Richard Finci has been a member of the Maryland Commission on Criminal Sentencing Policy appointed by the Governor of Maryland since 2004 (which focuses on State Law), has attended many seminars on the Federal Sentencing Guidelines and is an expert in the analysis and application of those Sentencing Guidelines as well as in the tactics and strategy to reduce the sentencing guidelines which you face in your case.
