PNA Law - Northern Virginia Criminal Lawyers
When someone has significant amounts of money from illegal activity, it can draw attention from the authorities. Because of this, people will attempt to move it through a legitimate business in order to conceal its actual origins. This is the crime of money laundering. Money laundering usually arises out of intent to cover up circumstances surrounding where money came from.
The businesses most often associated with money laundering are those with large cash inflows like restaurants or car washes. Money laundering quite often occurs due to lack of tracking in cash flow and inability of government supervision. But the government knows this and they generally are on the lookout for such activity. Money laundering charges are extremely complex and often involve significant amounts of paperwork. If you have been charged with money laundering, it is advisable to contact an experienced attorney right away. Because of the amount of detail that goes into these charges, an experienced attorney will know what to look for and be very detail oriented, careful not to let anything slip through the cracks.
Both the person receiving and the person transferring the money or property may be charged in the same situation with money laundering. Some people attempt to conceal their money using money wiring services to avoid detection. If the receiving person is charged with money laundering for receiving funds, they may not know that this money was illicit. If you have received money from a source and did not realize it was illegal and have been charged with money laundering, contact us right away. Since intent is a vital piece of this charge, if it can be proven that you did not know you were committing this crime, it is possible that the charges could be dropped.
This is also true for the person doing the laundering. If it can be shown a person was unaware of moving illegal funds, the state may not be able to secure a conviction. Because intent is a vital element of this crime, it will have to be shown that a person committed this crime knowingly and willfully. Without that intent, there is no crime. We will review the specific facts around your case to determine whether this is a viable defense.
If you are facing money laundering charges, you need a team who can fight for your rights. With 34 years of experience, our firm has represented all types of criminal cases from murders to petty thefts and we are one of Virginia’s largest and leading criminal law firms. Our legal expertise supports the Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, and Northern Virginia regions.