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Sunday, October 9, 2022

Disgraced Attorney Known as "King Midas" Gets 15 years for Laundering Millions from the Sinaloa Cartel

"Socalj" for Borderland Beat

An attorney who laundered millions of dollars for the violent Mexican drug cartel led by “El Chapo” Guzman was sentenced to 15 years and eight months in federal prison on a money-laundering conspiracy charge.

Juan Manuel Álvarez Inzunza, 40, received the punishment on Friday, after being arrested in 2016 in Mexico, where he was detained until his extradition to the U.S. last year. The disgraced lawyer admitted he laundered money for the Sinaloa Cartel from at least December 2013 to August 2015, and told a federal judge in San Diego, California, that he was “deeply remorseful,” and thanked the US government for capturing him, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

Roughly a decade ago, a cartel figure entered Álvarez Inzunza’s private civil law practice in Mexico. “The wrong client came in, and he listened to them,” his attorney said Friday during a sentencing hearing. That launched Álvarez Inzunza’s own criminal career as a high-ranking money launderer who cleaned millions of dollars in drug proceeds for the violent organization.

In a news release, prosecutors said Álvarez Inzunza “regularly received requests” to arrange the collection of drug proceeds in the U.S. that originated “from the top leadership of the cartel — including Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada and Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán.”

According to his attorney, Álvarez Inzunza — nicknamed “El Rey Midas” after the mythical Greek king who could turn everything he touched into gold — engaged in criminal activity “while trying to provide for his family,” but ended up doing the opposite and “destroying his family.” 


Prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum that Álvarez Inzunza was the lead defendant in a long-running cartel money-laundering investigation that used wiretaps to intercept Blackberry messages. From those messages, federal agents determined that Álvarez Inzunza was organizing the transfer of millions of dollars in drug proceeds from the U.S. to Mexico, Colombia, and other nations.

“Agents used these intercepted messages to seize at least $3.5 million in bulk currency before it left the country, and other intercepts showed (Álvarez Inzunza) orchestrating the transfer of millions more,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Zipp wrote in the sentencing document.

Zipp said in court Friday that the messages also showed the defendant orchestrated small-scale drug smuggling operations across the U.S.-Mexico border.

“This defendant is nothing like” the low-level drug couriers often charged in U.S. District Court, Zipp argued Friday. “He is multiple layers above the typical drug courier ... at the higher levels of (the) cartel.”

Zipp said authorities still don’t fully understand all the ways Álvarez Inzunza was able to move money out of the U.S., but said he used “several layers of subcontractors.” In court and in the sentencing document, the prosecutor said that from his home base in Culiacán, the defendant would receive orders from high-level cartel bosses, and then relay the orders to an associate in Colombia. That associate would then coordinate for lower-level couriers in the U.S. to pick up large amounts of cash.

Intercepted messages led federal agents in late 2013 to pick off $250,000 in drug proceeds in New York, according to court documents. Two months later agents seized another $425,000 in New York and Boston, and a few months later seized $400,000 in Detroit. Zipp told Sabraw that Álvarez Inzunza was the leader of his particular laundering cell.

“Today’s sentencing is the result of relentless work by HSI targeting the Sinaloa Cartel,” said Chad Plantz, special agent in charge of HSI Diego. “This multiyear investigation highlights HSI’s unwavering commitment to pursue cartel members responsible for importing dangerous drugs into our neighborhoods. This lengthy sentence serves as a resounding message that transnational criminal organizations are being continuously investigated by HSI and their leaders will be brought to justice.”

Álvarez Inzunza is likely to receive credit for the time he has already spent in custody, meaning he’s likely to serve about nine more years in federal custody, and then will be deported back to Mexico upon his release.

23 comments:

  1. I kind of remember this guy by his alias but not really. Good stuff.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You kind of remember his Alia’s but not really. Well thanks for not really sharing.

      Delete
    2. It’s “alias”, pendejo. @5:10.

      Delete
    3. 5:10 Snitchooo!!!!!!! 🤣🤣🤣😂🤣🎶🐁🐁🐁

      Delete
    4. Yep, his alias is King Snitch

      Delete
  2. Does anybody know if the narco cuatro culos is still around?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You do know they called him 4 culos cause he has 4 girls with him all the time

      Delete
  3. Lots of lawyers in usa launder money for criminal organizations, some of the biggest law firms with thousands of attorneys are involved

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 3:12:
      Where do you get this information from? The largest portion of layers are corporate attorneys that are far removed from this and make too much money to lose on a gamble like this.

      Delete
    2. Not sure about that but they do consume large amounts of cocaine as the late drug dealer Bogart Bello said: his best customers were lawyers and judges.

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    3. You are 100 percent wrong. I could give you the names but not to post here. The Sinaloa cartel has many attorneys in usa so does gulf cartel Phoenix, Las Vegas, LA, . Dallas, houston, Miami, loads there, who money launder. Look for the us firms who have offices outside of usa.

      20 percent of all money in circulation worldwide us dirty money. Reason I know is I have reason to know. Aside from that billions are knowingly laundered by us banks. USA is best offshore banking jurisdiction for criminals based outside of usa.

      Remember there are other criminal groups, ie. Chinese, Russians, Arab, Albanian, Romanian, East Indian,etc., its pervasive.

      Delete
    4. Here we go Mr. Internet Einstein that knows all the inter workings of the worlds most private organizations and his internet tough guy commenting below him.

      Delete
    5. Mr. Internet Einstein 3:12
      Patriot Act
      US banks are required to fill out forms of money deposited over $10,000.
      Mainly is done to avoid illegal money coming in.
      Have a great day.

      Delete
    6. 8:01 bedtime reddit nino.

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    7. 8:59, its always less than 10k. You have no idea how it works. Easy minded people.
      Jajajaja

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    8. 8.59. They buy real estate with front companies. I'm glad you think it does not exist. The dirty money is disguised as clean, IRS almost never investigates. Lawyers launder through fake companies and their trust accounts. Into err may iou nal trade through business accounts, buying, 8nvoiving, its never monitored. You probably work for these organizations trying to make people believe it does not happen. The DEA, FBi, and Homeland Security monitor this and other similar sites every day. My brother used to work for an agency, he hacked into my computer and all email accounts in less than 30 seconds.

      Delete
    9. 8:59

      That's why drug dealers open multiple bank accounts and don't deposit over 10 gran, old trick.

      Delete
    10. Detroit, most attorneys are not in fact corporate attorneys. Not even close.

      Delete
  4. He thanked the U.S. for arresting him. Thinking of the alternatives, 15 years in prison is certainly the better option.

    ReplyDelete
  5. He engaged in criminal activity “while trying to provide for his family,” but ended up doing the opposite and “destroying his family.”

    fuck your family holmes and all you other hijos de puta with "family values"

    Put your pitos back in your pants and get a real job


    ReplyDelete
  6. de tamazula pa arriva
    del estado de Dgo🌲

    ReplyDelete
  7. He lost a lot of weight.
    After his capture his plaza in chiapas got invaded by cjng.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wow a whole 5.75 million dollars seized. Way to go HSI you’re doing a great job!!! Not. Multi billion dollar organization and that’s all you got.

    ReplyDelete

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