ORLANDO, Florida — U.S. District Judge Carlos Mendoza has sentenced five men to federal prison terms for their roles in a money laundering and structuring conspiracy.
Jihad Williams Morales, 23, of Sanford; Michael Gabriel Robles Vazquez, 24, of Orlando; and Jorge Ivan Ortiz Bull, 32, of Orlando, were sentenced for conspiracy to commit money laundering and structuring. They, along with Cristian Rodriguez Labour and Aramys Gonzalez Rodriguez, pleaded guilty to 35 counts of conspiracy to commit concealment money laundering, money laundering, and structuring.
Gabriel Aldemar Velez-Torres was indicted on May 22, 2024, for his role in the conspiracy along with 14 additional counts of money laundering and structuring. He is scheduled for trial in October.
Labour, who recruited the others, was sentenced to seven years in prison. Morales received five years and ten months, Robles Vazquez was sentenced to two years and ten months, and Ortiz Buil received five years and three months. Gonzalez Rodriguez's sentencing is set for September 18, 2024.
According to court documents, Labour recruited the others to incorporate fake businesses in Florida and open business bank accounts in Deltona and Orlando. The recruited individuals lied to banks about the legitimacy of their businesses, pretending they were operating legitimate businesses involved in wholesale kitchen appliances, electronics, or industrial laundering machines.
Unnamed conspirators hacked into the computer systems of small businesses across the country, directing wire transfers to the fake businesses in Florida. Labour, Morales, Robles Vazquez, Gonzalez Rodriguez, and Ortiz Buil then transferred the bulk of the funds to businesses in China while withdrawing a portion as payment for their role in hiding the proceeds. The transfers were designed to conceal the source of the fraud proceeds, and the conspirators further obscured their withdrawals by structuring them to avoid bank reporting requirements.
During two weeks in early March 2021, Labour and Morales laundered more than $560,000 and attempted to launder another $200,000 using a single account in Deltona. From June through November 2021, Labour and Robles Vazquez laundered or attempted to launder more than $280,000 using at least four different bank accounts in Orlando. Labour and Gonzalez-Rodriguez laundered more than $1 million from August through December 2021 using at least three different bank accounts in Orlando. Labour and Ortiz Buil attempted to launder $1 million in one bank account in December 2021 and successfully laundered around $250,000 at four different banks from December 2021 through February 2022.
Overall, members of the conspiracy successfully laundered $3.3 million, according to court documents.
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