NYC Money Laundering Defense Lawyer

A money laundering charge is one of the most serious financial crimes in the federal system, carrying up to 20 years in prison per count, aggressive asset forfeiture, and a prosecution built by IRS, FBI, and DEA financial investigators. Federal money laundering cases are rarely brought alone. They are stacked on top of an underlying fraud, drug, or corruption charge to raise the stakes, seize your money, and pressure you toward a plea. If you are under investigation or have been charged, you need a New York City money laundering defense lawyer who understands how the government traces money and how to take those cases apart.

Varghese & Associates, P.C. is a federal criminal defense firm on Wall Street, in the heart of the Southern District of New York. The firm is led by Vinoo Varghese, a former prosecutor and one of the most recognized criminal defense attorneys in the country. We defend money laundering and financial crime cases in house, from the first subpoena through investigation, indictment, trial, sentencing, and appeal. Matters are not routed out to other firms.

Call (212) 430-6469 now for a confidential consultation with a New York City money laundering attorney. The earlier we are involved, the more we can do to protect your freedom and your assets.

A NYC Money Laundering Attorney the National Media Turns To

When the biggest federal financial cases in the country are in the news, networks and newspapers call Vinoo Varghese to explain what is really happening in the courtroom. That is the same judgment and credibility we bring to your case.

Vinoo Varghese has provided legal analysis and commentary for CBS News, Fox News, Fox Business, CNN, MSNBC, Court TV, HLN, BBC, Inside Edition, i24 News, Sky News Arabia, and Nancy Grace's Crime Stories, and has hosted true-crime legal analysis for Vanity Fair. He has been quoted as a legal authority by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the New York Law Journal, Law360, the New York Daily News, and the New York Post. He has broken down some of the most closely watched federal and white collar matters of the last decade for national audiences, including the El Chapo trial, the Jeffrey Epstein case, the Michael Cohen matter, and the federal college-admissions prosecution.

That national platform is built on real courtroom credentials:

• Former prosecutor. Before founding the firm, Vinoo Varghese served as a prosecutor in the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office, working trials, investigations, and appeals. He knows how the government builds a financial case because he used to build them.
• Nationally ranked. Named to the National Trial Lawyers Top 100 for nine consecutive years, selected as a New York Metro Super Lawyer for eight years, and rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell, its highest rating for legal ability and ethics, for six years.
• Teaches other lawyers to try cases. He has served on the visiting faculty of Harvard Law School's Trial Advocacy Workshop and taught trial advocacy at Cardozo, Brooklyn Law School, and Hofstra.
• A courtroom lawyer, not a referral service. He has personally tried and argued federal and state matters, including insider-trading, tax-fraud, and public-corruption cases, and has won mistrials, appeals, and acquittals through aggressive cross-examination and motion practice.

What Is Money Laundering Under Federal Law?

Money laundering is the federal crime of conducting a financial transaction with proceeds you know came from illegal activity, in order to disguise where the money came from, promote more crime, or evade taxes or reporting requirements. In plain terms, the government says a person took "dirty" money from an underlying offense and moved it through banks, businesses, or purchases to make it look "clean." The illegal source is called a specified unlawful activity, and it can be almost any federal or state felony, from drug trafficking and wire fraud to health care fraud and public corruption.

Importantly, you do not have to be the person who committed the underlying crime to be charged with money laundering. Business owners, accountants, real estate professionals, family members, and anyone who helps move or hold the money can become a target. That is exactly why an early, aggressive defense matters so much.

What Are the Elements of a Federal Money Laundering Charge?

To convict you of money laundering, federal prosecutors must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you knowingly conducted a financial transaction, that the money involved was the proceeds of a specified unlawful activity, that you knew the money came from some form of illegal activity, and that you acted with one of the specific intents the statute requires, such as concealing the source or promoting more crime. Each of those elements is a place where a case can be attacked. The government frequently overreaches on the "knowledge" element in particular, charging people who did not actually know the money was criminal, and that is often the heart of the defense.

The Federal Money Laundering Statutes

Federal money laundering is charged under a small group of powerful statutes, and prosecutors often use several at once. Understanding which statute you are charged under matters, because the elements, the penalties, and the defenses differ. The core charges include:

• Laundering of monetary instruments, the main money laundering statute, covering both concealment and promotion transactions and carrying up to 20 years per count (18 U.S.C. § 1956)
• International money laundering, transporting or transferring funds into or out of the United States to promote or conceal crime (18 U.S.C. § 1956(a)(2))
• Engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property greater than $10,000, sometimes called "spending" money laundering, carrying up to 10 years per count (18 U.S.C. § 1957)
• Money laundering conspiracy, which lets the government charge an agreement without proving a completed transaction (18 U.S.C. § 1956(h))
• Operating an unlicensed money transmitting business (18 U.S.C. § 1960)

Structuring and Bank Secrecy Act Offenses

Many "money laundering" investigations actually begin as reporting cases under the Bank Secrecy Act, which requires banks to report cash transactions and requires businesses to report large cash payments. Breaking a large amount of cash into smaller deposits to stay under the reporting threshold is a separate federal crime called structuring, and it can be charged even when the underlying money is legitimate. Common charges include:

• Structuring transactions to evade currency reporting requirements (31 U.S.C. § 5324)
• Willful violation of Bank Secrecy Act reporting and recordkeeping rules (31 U.S.C. § 5322)
• Failure to file a Currency Transaction Report for cash transactions over $10,000 (31 U.S.C. § 5313)
• Failure to file Form 8300 for large cash payments received in a trade or business (31 U.S.C. § 5331)
• Failure to report foreign bank accounts, the FBAR requirement (31 U.S.C. § 5314)

What Is a Specified Unlawful Activity?

A specified unlawful activity is the underlying crime that produced the money the government says was laundered, and the money laundering statutes define it to cover a very broad list of federal and state offenses. Because the list is so wide, money laundering counts get attached to almost every kind of financial case. The most common underlying offenses we see charged alongside money laundering include:

• Wire fraud and mail fraud (18 U.S.C. §§ 1343 and 1341)
• Bank fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1344)
• Securities and commodities fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1348; 15 U.S.C. §§ 78j(b) and 78ff)
• Health care fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1347)
• Controlled substance offenses and drug conspiracy (21 U.S.C. §§ 841 and 846)
• Public corruption and bribery (18 U.S.C. §§ 201 and 666)
• Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations (15 U.S.C. §§ 78dd-1 and following)
• Racketeering under RICO (18 U.S.C. §§ 1962(c) and 1962(d))

How Much Prison Time Does Money Laundering Carry?

Federal money laundering under 18 U.S.C. § 1956 carries a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison per count, along with fines of up to $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved, while transactions charged under 18 U.S.C. § 1957 carry up to 10 years per count. The actual sentence is calculated under the United States Sentencing Guidelines, where the driving factor is usually the amount of money involved. The larger the alleged laundered sum, the higher the offense level and the longer the guideline range. Sophisticated-means enhancements, leadership-role enhancements, and the underlying offense all push the number higher. This is why skilled advocacy at sentencing, challenging the loss and value calculations and presenting real mitigation, can change the outcome by years.

Can the Government Take My Money and Property in a Money Laundering Case?

Yes. Asset forfeiture is central to almost every money laundering case, and the government can move to seize bank accounts, homes, businesses, and other property it claims is connected to the laundering, sometimes before you are ever convicted. Forfeiture is often the government's real objective, and fighting it is a core part of the defense. The provisions typically used include:

• Criminal forfeiture of property involved in money laundering (18 U.S.C. § 982)
• Civil forfeiture of property traceable to the offense, which can proceed even without a criminal conviction (18 U.S.C. § 981)
• Seizure and restraint of assets before trial, which can freeze the funds you need to live and to hire counsel

Our federal crime defense attorneys in NYC challenge forfeiture on multiple fronts, including whether the property is actually traceable to any crime, whether the seizure was lawful, and whether restraining your assets improperly interferes with your right to counsel of choice.

Who Investigates Money Laundering, and How Do They Build a Case?

Money laundering is investigated by federal financial specialists, primarily IRS Criminal Investigation, the FBI, the DEA, and Homeland Security Investigations, working with the Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and the banks' own suspicious activity reports. These agents follow the money using bank records, wire transfers, Currency Transaction Reports, Suspicious Activity Reports, tax filings, and increasingly cryptocurrency blockchain analysis. Investigations often run quietly for months or years before anyone is charged. If you learn you are under investigation, that early window is the most valuable time to bring in a defense lawyer, before the government has locked in its theory.

What Are the Defenses to a Money Laundering Charge?

Money laundering is a complex, technical crime, and that complexity creates real defenses. Every case is different, but the strategies we commonly use include:

• No knowledge. The government must prove you knew the money came from illegal activity. Handling money that turned out to be tainted is not a crime if you did not know, and lack of knowledge is one of the most powerful defenses.
• No specific intent. The concealment and promotion statutes require a particular purpose. An ordinary business or personal transaction is not laundering just because prosecutors dislike it.
• Legitimate source of funds. If the money did not come from a specified unlawful activity, there is no money laundering, no matter how the transactions look.
• Challenging the tracing. The government's theory depends on tracing funds. Forensic accounting and cross-examination can expose gaps, assumptions, and commingled legitimate money.
• Suppression. Where records or accounts were obtained through an unlawful search, subpoena, or seizure, we move to suppress under the Fourth Amendment.
• Attacking the underlying offense. If the alleged predicate crime fails, the money laundering count built on top of it can fall with it.

What Should You Do If You Are Under Investigation for Money Laundering?

If you learn you are under investigation for money laundering, do not talk to federal agents, do not move or transfer any money, and do not alter or destroy any records. Call a New York City money laundering defense lawyer immediately. Anything you say can be used against you, and moving funds or deleting files after you know about an investigation can turn into separate obstruction or additional laundering charges. You have the right to remain silent under the Fifth Amendment and the right to counsel under the Sixth Amendment. Use them, and let your lawyer deal with the government.

How Our NYC Money Laundering Defense Lawyers Can Help You

We defend money laundering cases at every stage, and we look for the earliest possible point at which the case can be won or shrunk:

• Pre-indictment defense. Responding to grand jury subpoenas and target letters, handling proffers, and negotiating with the U.S. Attorney's Office to seek a declination or reduced charges before an indictment is ever filed.
• Protecting your assets. Fighting pretrial seizures and restraining orders, challenging forfeiture, and protecting your ability to pay for the counsel of your choice.
• Financial investigation. Working with forensic accountants to trace funds independently, test the government's assumptions, and separate legitimate money from what is alleged to be tainted.
• Motion practice. Moving to dismiss defective counts, suppressing unlawfully obtained records, and limiting the government's proof.
• Trial. Trying cases before federal judges and juries in the Southern District, the Eastern District, and other districts as engaged, which is exactly why the firm prepares every case for trial from the start.
• Sentencing and mitigation. Challenging the loss and value calculations that drive the guideline range, arguing for downward variances, and presenting a full mitigation picture.
• Appeals and post-conviction relief. Direct appeals to the federal circuit courts and post-conviction motions where the law and the record support them.

Representative Results

Vinoo Varghese has achieved results in serious federal and high-stakes financial matters, including securing a mistrial through cross-examination in a public-corruption prosecution, obtaining a new trial and ultimately an acquittal in a federal tax-fraud case after exposing prosecutorial misconduct, and defending clients in insider-trading and other white collar matters. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case is different, and past success in one matter does not predict the result in another.

What Is the Difference Between Civil and Criminal Money Laundering Cases?

A criminal money laundering case seeks to convict and imprison you and requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt, while a civil forfeiture action targets your property on a lower burden of proof and can proceed even if you are never criminally charged or convicted. The two often run in parallel. You can be fighting to stay out of prison in the criminal case while simultaneously fighting to keep your home or bank accounts in the civil forfeiture case. Coordinating both, so that a move in one does not damage the other, is part of what an experienced money laundering attorney does.

How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Money Laundering Defense Lawyer in New York City?

The cost of a money laundering defense lawyer in New York City depends on the size and complexity of the alleged scheme, the volume of financial records, whether assets have been seized, and whether the case resolves before or goes to trial. These cases involve extensive financial discovery, forensic accounting, and detailed motion practice, so they require real work. We are transparent about fees from the first conversation and structure the representation to fit the matter. Because the government often tries to seize the very funds you would use to defend yourself, moving early to protect your assets can be critical.

How Long Does a Federal Money Laundering Case Take in New York?

Most federal money laundering cases in New York take from one to more than two years, and large or multi-defendant financial cases can take longer. The investigation stage alone often runs for years before charges are filed, because tracing money through accounts and entities is slow work. Once charged, the timeline is driven by the volume of financial discovery, forensic analysis, pretrial motions, and the court's calendar, and it can be shortened by a negotiated resolution or extended by a trial.

Can Money Laundering Charges Be Dismissed Before Trial in New York?

Yes. Money laundering charges can be dismissed before trial through a motion to dismiss a legally defective indictment, a successful suppression motion that removes key financial evidence, or negotiation that leads the prosecutor to drop the laundering counts. Because money laundering counts are built on an underlying offense and on a chain of financial tracing, they are often more vulnerable than they first appear. Dismissals are never guaranteed, but they are far more likely when a defense lawyer is involved early and attacks the government's theory before it hardens.

Why Choose Varghese & Associates for Your Money Laundering Defense?

Money laundering cases sit at the intersection of criminal law, financial forensics, and asset forfeiture, and they demand a lawyer who is comfortable in all three. Vinoo Varghese brings a former prosecutor's understanding of how the government traces money and charges these cases, a trial lawyer's willingness to take a case in front of a jury, and the national credibility of an attorney the major networks call on to explain the law. We handle these cases in house, on Wall Street, in the districts where they are prosecuted, and we treat protecting both your liberty and your property as the job.

Contact a New York City Money Laundering Attorney Now

If you are under federal investigation for money laundering, have received a grand jury subpoena or target letter, have had assets seized, or have been arrested or indicted anywhere in New York City, do not wait and do not talk to anyone but your lawyer. Speak with a New York City money laundering defense lawyer who has stood in the courtroom, tried the cases, and earned the national platform that comes with real results.

Call Varghese & Associates, P.C. at (212) 430-6469, or contact us online, for a confidential consultation. Our office is located at 2 Wall Street, Suite 310, New York, NY 10005, steps from the federal courthouses of the Southern District of New York.