You Been Arrested For A Money Laundering Drug Crime in Arizona?

Everything You Need to Know About Money Laundering Drug Crime in Mesa, Arizona

Embezzlement or money laundering drug crime is a white-collar crime. This type of criminal activity is confusing and complex to trace. The area of crime is usually fraught with plenty of misunderstandings. That is what leads many innocent parties to severe accusations they don’t know anything about.

Because fraud and theft in financial affairs can go in several different directions, white-collar crimes are increasing. Many financial professionals face challenging situations to avoid embezzlement or money laundering penalties

If you’re arrested for a money-laundering drug crime in Mesa, Arizona, you must know about the criminal charges you may be accused of. It will help you prepare to face legal charges and seek assistance to raise your legal voice.

What is Money Laundering Drug Crime

Money laundering typically refers to an illegal process of earning or making a huge amount of money from drug trafficking. Drug possession or selling in Mesa, Arizona is considered a criminal activity as the money is generated from illegitimate sources. As the laundering process makes the money look clean, the State of Arizona considers the money dirty

Keep in mind that money laundering drug crime is one of the serious financial crimes many street-level and white-collar criminals do. This is the reason many financial companies in Mesa, AZ have stringent anti-money laundering policies to detect, reduce, and prevent money laundering drug crimes.

Criminal organizations use money laundering drug crime tactics to use illegal money effectively. As they can’t deal with a large amount of illegitimate money in cash, they launder it.

Criminals use various ways to deposit their illegally-obtained money in different legitimate financial forums or institutions. They can only do this if the money they are depositing appears to be from a legitimate source.

In general, the money laundering drug crime is a process comprising three steps;

• The first step is to place the black money into the legal financial institutes surreptitiously
• The second step is to layer the sources of money by doing a series of transactions and applying bookkeeping tricks.
• The final step involves the integration of black money in which launderers withdraw the money from their legitimate accounts to use for different purposes.

Keep in mind that these scenarios are different in real life. It is possible that money launderers may not use all the steps or combine any two stages. In some cases, the launders repeat one stage many times. When it comes to laundering money generated from drug selling, criminals use several ways to make it look clean.

Using a cash-based legitimate business to launder the money is the most common technique. For instance, if a drug seller owns a café, he can inflate the cash receipts or bills to funnel all the illegal cash via the café and transfer the money into the bank account of the café.

Once black money is transferred the dealers can easily withdraw the funds whenever they want. The businesses are called “fronts”.

What Happens if You’re Accused of Money Laundering Drug Crime

Facing money laundering drug crime means encountering many criminal penalties including large fines and prison sentences. However, it doesn’t mean that you can’t become a defendant in a money-laundering drug crime case. Both criminal organizations and individuals can face liabilities in money laundering cases.

Penalty for money laundering drug crime can be a costly affair. If the court proves the charges, it can ruin the professional reputation as well as the career of the accused individual. In typical cases, money laundering drug crime cases lead to other charges such as racketeering and embezzlement.

This is why it is important to hire a money-laundering drug crime attorney who understands the complexities in such cases and the federal laws in Mesa, AZ. Money laundering cases have many intricate webs that only a qualified drug lawyer can deal with.

If you have been arrested for a money-laundering drug crime in Mesa, you need a veteran embezzlement and money laundering defense lawyer. You can’t fight the charges alone and need the expertise of a lawyer to end the accusations.

Money Laundering Drug Crime in Mesa, Arizona

As said above, money laundering drug crime is a form of a financial scheme in which a criminal gains money through drug selling. The act of money laundering drug crime seems dry and cut, it involves several complexities.

If you‘re in Arizona, the state has different degrees for money laundering and drug crime. Each degree of money laundering is considered a felony; you may get jail time for a different duration.

Money Laundering Drug Crime in the Third Degree

Third-degree felony money laundering drug crime carries the least severe punishment and jail time. If you’ve been arrested for a third-degree money laundering drug crime, it shows that you were a part of the money transmitting process within the laundering scheme.

Though third-degree money laundering is considered the lowest grade, you may face prison for up to six years for the first offense if you’re convicted. Under Arizona 13604, third-degree money laundering drug crime is a Class 6 felony.

Money Laundering Drug Crime in the Second Degree

Being accused of second-degree money laundering drug crime means you have an ongoing interest in;

• Transacting
• Transporting
• Transferring
• Receiving
• Concealing the money acquired via racketeering or drug selling

In addition to that, these degree charges include giving false information to the authorities. According to Arizona laws, second-degree money laundering drug crime is a Class 3 felony. You may face a penalty of 8 years of jail if you’re a first-time offender.

Money Laundering Drug Crime in the First Degree

Finally, money laundering drug crime that falls in the first degree is the most serious criminal activity in Arizona. If you’re accused of a first-degree money laundering case, it means you were intentionally involved in

• Initiating
• Organizing
• Directing
• And managing a scheme created to launder money

It also means that you have played the most active and prominent role in the entire money laundering drug crime scheme. The crime comes in class 2 felony and you may face jail time for 12.5 years.

Making a Defense against Money Laundering Drug Crime Charges

If you have been arrested for money laundering drug crimes in Arizona, seeking legal counsel to defend your charges is imperative. Regardless of the money laundering degree charges, you have been investigated for; you need a qualified and experienced legal defense who can build a case in your favor.

It is always better to avoid answering or disclosing information regarding your money laundering case to people. Rather discuss everything with a reliable and experienced criminal defense lawyer who understands the sensitive nature of the charges.

Summing Up

You must understand all the above-mentioned penalties for different degrees of criminal activities such as money laundering and drug crime to build a strong case if you have been arrested. Hire a reliable lawyer to avoid harsher consequences in Mesa, Arizona.