Cheronis & Parente LLC

Criminal Defense Blog

ON BEHALF OF CHERONIS & PARENTE LLC   /   October 16, 2019

Man faces multiple federal charges

An Illinois resident was charged with multiple counts of money laundering after it was discovered that he was running an illegal sports betting business. The 35-year-old defendant paid a fee to use an online sports betting platform in Costa Rica. He would then collect money from bettors and pay out their winnings in cash. In addition to money laundering, the defendant was also charged with two counts of bankruptcy fraud.

Authorities say that the defendant concealed income that he generated from running the gambling ring in a bankruptcy proceeding. He was seeking to discharge a $1.5 million judgment against him, which was ultimately settled for $4,500. If the defendant is convicted of all five counts of money laundering, he could spend up to 100 years in jail. Each count of bankruptcy fraud carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

Individuals who are convicted on federal crime charges may face a variety of penalties, including prison time and steep fines. An attorney may be able to help a defendant avoid these and other potential sanctions that a judge may hand down. This may be done by casting doubt against the evidence that was used to charge a person with a crime.

An attorney may ask that evidence be suppressed, which means that it wouldn’t be shown to jurors at all. In some cases, this could mean that a witness wouldn’t be allowed to testify or that physical evidence couldn’t be introduced at trial. Taking this step may create reasonable doubt and force jurors to acquit a defendant. Alternatively, a lack of evidence may result in a case being thrown out before it gets to trial.

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