蘭開斯特男子因無牌匯款業務案被判有罪

36 歲的艾倫約瑟夫 (Alan Joseph) 來自蘭卡斯特，在伍斯特聯邦法院被判犯有一項無照經營資金傳輸業務罪和三項洗錢罪。

A Lancaster man was convicted last Friday following a five-day jury trial for his involvement in an unlicensed money transmission business that exchanged cash for Bitcoin, first apprehended after converting cash for an undercover agent posing as a trafficker in counterfeit goods.

上週五，一名蘭卡斯特男子因參與無證匯款業務而被定罪，該男子將現金兌換成比特幣，經過為期五天的陪審團審判，他在為冒充假貨販運者的臥底特工兌換現金後首次被逮捕。

Alan Joseph, 36, of Lancaster, was convicted of one count of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business and three counts of money laundering in a Worcester federal court. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencing for Feb. 24, 2025.

36 歲的艾倫約瑟夫 (Alan Joseph) 來自蘭卡斯特，在伍斯特聯邦法院被判犯有一項無照經營資金傳輸業務罪和三項洗錢罪。美國地方法院法官瑪格麗特·R·古茲曼 (Margaret R. Guzman) 計劃於 2025 年 2 月 24 日宣判。

Joseph was charged by criminal complaint and arrested in February 2021 and later indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2021.

約瑟夫受到刑事起訴並於 2021 年 2 月被捕，隨後於 2021 年 3 月被聯邦大陪審團起訴。

“Mr. Joseph’s conduct made him a critical cog in criminal enterprises, willingly converting illicit cash into cryptocurrency to help his customers conceal their tracks,” said United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “This conviction sends a clear message: those who exploit emerging technologies like cryptocurrency to facilitate illegal activity will be held accountable. Our office, alongside our federal and local partners, will continue to disrupt these schemes and ensure that the integrity of our financial systems is upheld.”

“先生。約瑟夫的行為使他成為犯罪企業的關鍵人物，他願意將非法現金轉換成加密貨幣，以幫助他的客戶隱藏他們的踪跡，」美國檢察官約書亞·S·利維（Joshua S. Levy）說。 「這項定罪發出了一個明確的訊息：那些利用加密貨幣等新興技術促進非法活動的人將被追究責任。我們的辦公室與我們的聯邦和地方合作夥伴一起，將繼續破壞這些計劃，並確保維護我們金融體系的完整性。

According to court documents and statements, Joseph engaged in at least four financial transactions where he converted cash to Bitcoin in connection with what Joseph believed to be trafficking in counterfeit goods, which is illegal under federal law. Bitcoin is a form of virtual currency, or cryptocurrency, that has no physical form and is traded exclusively by electronic means.

根據法庭文件和聲明，約瑟夫參與了至少四項金融交易，他將現金兌換成比特幣，約瑟夫認為這些交易與販運假貨有關，根據聯邦法律，這是非法的。比特幣是虛擬貨幣或加密貨幣的一種形式，沒有實體形式，僅透過電子方式進行交易。

Joseph sought to promote and conceal the nature of such illegal activity. For instance, on Oct. 28, 2020, Joseph converted about $25,000 in cash to Bitcoin for the undercover agent. During this meeting, the undercover agent represented to Joseph that the money Joseph was converting was from “rich housewives” who purchased “fake” items. Additionally, Joseph expressed an interest in purchasing counterfeit goods from the undercover agent.

約瑟夫試圖宣揚和隱瞞此類非法活動的本質。例如，2020 年 10 月 28 日，約瑟夫為臥底特工將約 25,000 美元現金兌換成比特幣。在這次會議上，臥底特工向約瑟夫表示，約瑟夫兌換的錢來自購買「假貨」物品的「富有的家庭主婦」。此外，約瑟夫表示有興趣從臥底特工那裡購買假貨。

“This conviction proves that Mr. Joseph was more than willing to help criminals conceal their criminal cash flow in an attempt to cover up illegal activity,” said Jodi Cohen, special agent in charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “The FBI and our partners thank the jury for its service and swift verdict.”

「這一定罪證明，約瑟夫先生非常願意幫助犯罪分子隱藏他們的犯罪現金流，以試圖掩蓋非法活動，」聯邦調查局波士頓分部的特工喬迪·科恩說。 “聯邦調查局和我們的合作夥伴感謝陪審團的服務和迅速的裁決。”

Contrary to federal law and regulations, Joseph never registered his money transmission business with the Department of Treasury, nor did he ever request identification from the undercover agent during the meetings.

與聯邦法律法規相反，約瑟夫從未向財政部登記其匯款業務，也從未在會議期間要求臥底特工出示身分證明。

“Criminals rely on money laundering operations like the one run by Alan Joseph to obscure their proceeds, helping criminal enterprises evade detection, enhance profit margins and avoid tax liability,” said Michael J. Krol, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England.

負責新州國土安全調查的特別探員邁克爾·J·克羅爾(Michael J. Krol) 表示：「犯罪分子依靠艾倫·約瑟夫(Alan Joseph) 開展的洗錢活動來掩蓋自己的收益，幫助犯罪企業逃避偵查、提高利潤率並避免納稅義務。

The charge of money laundering provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

洗錢罪名可判處最高 20 年監禁、最高三年監管釋放以及 25 萬美元罰款。經營未經許可的匯款業務的罪名最高可判處五年監禁、三年以下監管釋放以及 25 萬美元罰款。判決由聯邦地區法院法官根據《美國量刑指南》和管轄刑事案件判決的法規作出。

“Alan Joseph received money through the U.S. Mail and subsequently laundered it into Bitcoin. This conviction sends a stark warning to anyone who thinks they can illegally use the U.S. Mail for their own gain. The U.s. Postal Inspection Service will continue to remain steadfast in our mission to protect the U.S. Mail and its customers from any illegal activity,” said Ketty Larco Ward, inspector in charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in New England.

「艾倫·約瑟夫透過美國郵政收到了錢，隨後將其洗成比特幣。這項定罪向任何認為可以非法利用美國郵政謀取私利的人發出了嚴厲警告。美國郵政檢查局將繼續堅定不移地履行我們的使命，保護美國郵政及其客戶免受任何非法活動的侵害，」負責新英格蘭美國郵政檢查局的檢查員凱蒂·拉科·沃德(Ketty Larco Ward) 表示。

U.S. Attorney Levy, FBI SAC Cohen, HSI SAC Krol, Acting IRS-CI SAC Wlodyka and USPIS Inc Larco Ward made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John T. Mulcahy and Lindsey E. Weinstein of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.

美國檢察官 Levy、FBI SAC Cohen、HSI SAC Krol、代理 IRS-CI SAC Wlodyka 和 USPIS Inc Larco Ward 宣布了這一消息。美國刑事部門助理檢察官約翰·T·馬爾卡希 (John T. Mulcahy) 和林賽·E·韋恩斯坦 (Lindsey E. Weinstein) 起訴了此案。