Passaic County Man Admits Role in Illegal Money Transmitting Scheme | USAO-NJ

NEWARK, NJ – A man from Passaic County, New Jersey, today admitted his role in an illegal money transfer business, US Attorney General Rachael Honig said.

Willy Cruz-Bonilla, 24, of Paterson, New Jersey, videoconference pleaded guilty to US District Judge Katharine S. Hayden for providing criminal information accusing him of aiding in an illegal money transfer business.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

From August 2016 to August 2017, Cruz-Bonilla accepted over $ 2.5 million in cash and purchased over 90 cashier checks at local bank branches in New Jersey and elsewhere. The investigation revealed that the cash was the proceeds of the illegal drug trade. The check purchases were part of a large-scale illegal money transfer and money laundering program that aimed to conceal the illegal source of the cash and transfer it from New Jersey to the Dominican Republic and Colombia, while attempting to pass law enforcement and law enforcement scrutiny USA to escape banks.

The charge of aiding and abetting an illegal money transfer business carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of $ 250,000 or double the amount associated with the crime, whichever is greater. The conviction is scheduled for February 1, 2022.

Acting US Attorney Honey has credited Special Agents and Task Force Officers of the US Drug Enforcement Administration, New Jersey Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Susan A. Gibson; Special agents and emergency services of the IRS – Criminal Investigation, under the direction of the responsible special agent Michael Montanez; the Morristown, New Jersey Police Department, under the direction of Acting Police Chief Darnell Richardson; and the Direccion Nacional de Control de Drogas (National Drug Administration of the Dominican Republic, DNCD), whose investigations led to today’s admission of guilt.

The government is represented by Assistant Attorney General Jonathan M. Peck of the Criminal Division in Newark.

These efforts are part of an operation by the Organized Crime Combat Drugs Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the top criminal organizations threatening the United States with a prosecutor-led, intelligence, and inter-agency approach. More information about the OCDETF program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.