Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody announced criminal charges against two men for operating a cryptocurrency money laundering scheme transferring approximately $8 million to be withdrawn from ATM machines in Colombia.
Attorney General Moody’s Office of Statewide Prosecution is charging Juan Paulo Galeano and Carlos Andrews Cardona Gomez with money laundering and operating as an unlicensed money transmitter.
The defendants created shell digital consulting companies to purchase cryptocurrency and then used multiple financial institutions in Florida to operate a money-service business without a license. The Broward Sheriff’s Office facilitated Galeano’s arrest, and Cardona is currently a fugitive in Colombia.
“This criminal duo operated a money-service business without a license to transfer approximately $8 million in an elaborate cryptocurrency laundering scheme—creating a flow of millions of dollars worth of U.S. currency right into Medellin, Colombia. Thanks to multiple federal and state partners working together on this complex investigation, we have shut down this international criminal scheme," said Moody.
According to the investigation, the defendants conducted hundreds of financial transactions through digital asset/cryptocurrency exchange platforms and federal wire transfers.
The defendants used shell companies to purchase cryptocurrency. Galeano claimed to be the officer or director of Canvas Digital Corp, based in Miramar, which advertised as a consulting service that focuses on digital services, marketing, and photography.
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Cardona claimed to be an officer or director of Cabusa Compania Sas Corp, which operated directly from Medellin, Colombia. The defendants utilized multiple cryptocurrency exchanges, including Kraken, Binance, and FTX Crypto.
The investigation further revealed that the defendants claimed to provide digital services; however, there is no evidence of products or services.
The defendants used a combination of the digital exchange platforms and multiple financial institutions—including JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America, Citibank, and more—to layer the financial transactions and obscure the source of the funds.
The money-service business scheme allowed approximately $8 million in U.S. currency to be withdrawn in Medellin, Colombia.
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