Texas Lawyer Blog

Money laundering is a federal offense. This refers to the methodic process through which the launderers obtain money illegally and then make it look like legal money. In other words, this process white washes the black money. There are different ways of obtaining money illegally. The launderers may use blackmailing as a means of obtaining this money. Sometimes, this money comes from ransom. There are other creative ways of obtaining illegal money. After getting the money, the launderers make this appear legal.

How this is done? There are three stages of money laundering. Placement is the first step. Layering the money is the second stage. And the last one is integration. After obtaining the money, the launderers place it in some financial institution, most commonly in a bank. However, they do not place the entire amount in one account. They break the money in several tiny amounts and place it in several accounts.

In the layering stage, they layer the money, means hide this money. How do they so this? They send the money to off-shore accounts and send in to the different parts of the world. Thus they create a safe distance between the money and the destination.

In the integration part, they bring the money back and make it appear legally obtain money.

As this is a federal offense, this is punishable and you may go to jail for minimum five years for committing this. Remember that a money laundering charge comes with several other charges. Therefore, you should seek legal help without delaying when charged with this offense. Get in touch with an experienced Florida criminal lawyer to get the intensity of the penalty reduced.