Mexican national pleads guilty in $4M laundering case
- Carlos Érick Vázquez González has pleaded guilty to laundering about $4 million through cryptocurrency.
- He accepted drug proceeds into a crypto wallet, moved the funds and converted them into US dollars.
- Vázquez González faces up to 20 years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for December 17.
Carlos Érick Vázquez González has pleaded guilty to laundering about $4 million in drug proceeds through cryptocurrency.
Vázquez González controlled a cryptocurrency wallet that received the funds from money brokers collecting drug profits across the US.
He then moved the cryptocurrency to hide its origins, sold it for US dollars in Mexico and returned the cash.
The Justice Department said Vázquez González received about $40,000 for his role in the money laundering conspiracy.
He pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy and faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The DEA investigated the case with support from multiple US offices, Mexican DEA teams and the IRS Criminal Investigation division.
The prosecution forms part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative targeting criminal cartels and transnational organisations.
