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The US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York has charged a member of the Cartier family and five Colombian nationals with laundering drug proceeds through the USDT stablecoin.
Authorities allege that the defendants were part of a money laundering network operating in the United States and Colombia. They used a system of brokers and shell companies to carry out their criminal activities.
Maximilian de Hoop Cartier, a direct descendant of the jeweler family, operated an unlicensed over-the-counter cryptocurrency trading platform beginning in or around January 2020. The transactions were conducted through a group of shell companies, including Bullpix Solutions LLC, Vintech Capital LLC, VC Innovated Technologies LLC, AZ Technologies LLC, Softmill LLC, and Sun Technologies LLC.
His accomplices Leonardo de Jesus Zualaga Duque, Erika Milena Lopez Ortiz, Alexander Areiza Ceballos, and Adrian Areiza Ceballos imported more than 100 kilograms of cocaine into the United States. Another defendant, Felipe Estrada Echeverri, participated in the laundering of the funds.
In total, from January 2020 to the present, Cartier’s OTC platform processed “hundreds of millions of dollars in illegal transactions and laundered hundreds of millions in criminal proceeds,” including $14.5 million in drug trafficking from May to November 2023.
Cartier was charged with money laundering, bank fraud, and operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. He was arrested on February 22 in Miami.
Five Colombian nationals were taken into custody by local authorities on April 30.
The case has been sent to trial.
Earlier, ForkLog reported that US authorities charged three former top managers of the crypto lending platform Cred with conspiracy to launder money and commit fraud in the amount of $783 million.
Authorities allege that the defendants were part of a money laundering network operating in the United States and Colombia. They used a system of brokers and shell companies to carry out their criminal activities.
Maximilian de Hoop Cartier, a direct descendant of the jeweler family, operated an unlicensed over-the-counter cryptocurrency trading platform beginning in or around January 2020. The transactions were conducted through a group of shell companies, including Bullpix Solutions LLC, Vintech Capital LLC, VC Innovated Technologies LLC, AZ Technologies LLC, Softmill LLC, and Sun Technologies LLC.
| Maximilien de Hoop Cartier. Data: X . |
In total, from January 2020 to the present, Cartier’s OTC platform processed “hundreds of millions of dollars in illegal transactions and laundered hundreds of millions in criminal proceeds,” including $14.5 million in drug trafficking from May to November 2023.
Cartier was charged with money laundering, bank fraud, and operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. He was arrested on February 22 in Miami.
Five Colombian nationals were taken into custody by local authorities on April 30.
The case has been sent to trial.
Earlier, ForkLog reported that US authorities charged three former top managers of the crypto lending platform Cred with conspiracy to launder money and commit fraud in the amount of $783 million.