Conspirators sentenced for laundering $23M in drug money through Lexington
Two men were sentenced for their involvement in a “far-reaching conspiracy” to launder $23 million in drug money through Lexington, according to the United States Attorney’s Office.
Anthony Scott Cossu, 29, of Olympia, Wash., was sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison and ordered to forfeit more than $200,000. Felipe Martinez, 25, of Los Angeles, Calif., was sentenced to five years in federal prison and must forfeit $347,828 of drug money.
Both men pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit promotional money laundering, and were prosecuted in Kentucky. According to their plea agreements, Cossu and Martinez engaged in a money laundering scheme, with four additional defendants, with crimes occuring in Lexington and Chicago.
Carlos Gonzalez, Rudy Guerro, Warren Miller and Oscar Alberto Palaciso Espericuete were also sentenced for their connection to the scheme. All the men allegedly participated in the organization sometime from August 2018 to December 2021.
Each defendant delivered drug money to others for conversion to cryptocurrency which was later transferred to other conspirators in Mexico. A total of 26 kilograms of cocaine was also seized during the investigation, as well as three firearms, according to federal government officials.
Cossu was responsible for $765,065 in laundered funds, while Martinez was held accountable for $347,828, according to United States attorneys.
Cossu was identified as an “international money broker” who imported controlled substances and needed profits laundered and returned to drug suppliers in Mexico, according to court documents. He was arrested in April and made his first Kentucky court appearance in May.
Defendants gave drug money to undercover agents in Lexington
On different occasions, the men separately delivered drug money to undercover Drug Enforcement Administration agents acting as “couriers,” according to court documents.
The undercover agent would receive a “contract” from the men who organized the transaction to collect money in Lexington. The agent was expected to pick up the money and provide a serial number for a one dollar bill to be used as a code during the drop.
This code was given to the person delivering the money and confirmed that the “courier” had the specific bill in his possession before transferring the money. These men would arrange meetings at different places throughout Lexington, including a gym parking lot and a hotel parking lot, according to court documents. Once the undercover agent had the money, it would be transferred to an undercover DEA bank account.
All but Guerro accepted a plea deal, according to court records. Guerro was convicted by a jury for one count of conspiracy to launder money. He was sentenced to serve just over six and a half years in prison in November.
Gonzalez and Espericuete both pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering as part of a plea deal, according to their plea agreements.
Espericuete was sentenced in September to serve two and a half years in prison. Gonzalez was sentenced to eight years.
