Felipe de Jesus Ornelas Mora, local business owner, was sentenced to an 18-month federal prison term for money laundering through his business, Rincon Musical.
As issued by the Department of Justice, Mora pleaded guilty mid-2021 to conducting transactions with illegally acquired funds. Accusations were pressed on him involving a scheme channeling illegal funds through his business.
Following a two-year exhaustive investigation, Mora’s sentencing firmly concluded the matter. His attorney, however, remained without comment.
After his prison term, Mora is mandated to comply with a 3-year supervised release that includes a substantial fine yet to be set.
Mora’s operation commenced in September 2020 and lasted until August 2022. Using the identities of unknowing clients, Mora and his employees successfully masked their illegal activities, portraying them as standard money transfers.
Investigation revealed that Mora’s activities connected to a broader money laundering scheme tied to drug sales in Mexico and Honduras. The scope of the illicit operation extended beyond national borders, intertwining drug trafficking and money laundering.
The considerable profit from these illegal ventures was systematically cleaned through complex processes, making it challenging to track by law enforcement, pointing towards widespread corrupt systems.
Mora’s laundering method included transferring amounts under $3,000 to avoid government business reporting obligations.
Local owner’s sentencing for laundering
Authorities discovered this evasion tactic through wire receipts linked to Mora’s business on seized mobile devices of arrested drug traffickers.
In response to the incident, DEA Special Agent Brian M. Clark, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick D. Robbins, and CI Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Mosley condemned actions that enable drug trafficking and harm local communities. These frontline personnel consistently vow to pursue and halt such damaging operations rigorously.
Clark, Robbins, and Mosley work relentlessly to enforce the law, aiming to bring justice to involved individuals and restore peace within impacted communities. They uphold that no criminal act will go unrecognized and every perpetrator will face the full force of the law.
