兰卡斯特男子因无牌汇款业务案被判有罪

36 岁的艾伦·约瑟夫 (Alan Joseph) 来自兰卡斯特，在伍斯特联邦法院被判犯有一项无照经营资金传输业务罪和三项洗钱罪。

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.

上周五，一名兰卡斯特男子因参与无证汇款业务而被定罪，该男子将现金兑换成比特币，经过为期五天的陪审团审判，他在为冒充假货贩运者的卧底特工兑换现金后首次被捕。

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 岁的艾伦·约瑟夫 (Alan Joseph) 来自兰卡斯特，在伍斯特联邦法院被判犯有一项无照经营资金传输业务罪和三项洗钱罪。美国地方法院法官玛格丽特·R·古兹曼 (Margaret R. Guzman) 计划于 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.

约瑟夫受到刑事起诉并于 2021 年 2 月被捕，随后于 2021 年 3 月被联邦大陪审团起诉。

“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。约瑟夫的行为使他成为犯罪企业的关键人物，他愿意将非法现金转换成加密货币，以帮助他的客户隐藏他们的踪迹，”美国检察官约书亚·S·利维（Joshua S. Levy）说。 “这一定罪发出了一个明确的信息：那些利用加密货币等新兴技术促进非法活动的人将被追究责任。我们的办公室与我们的联邦和地方合作伙伴一起，将继续破坏这些计划，并确保维护我们金融体系的完整性。”

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.

根据法庭文件和声明，约瑟夫参与了至少四项金融交易，他将现金兑换成比特币，约瑟夫认为这些交易与贩运假冒商品有关，根据联邦法律，这是非法的。比特币是虚拟货币或加密货币的一种形式，没有实体形式，仅通过电子方式进行交易。

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.

约瑟夫试图宣扬和隐瞒此类非法活动的性质。例如，2020 年 10 月 28 日，约瑟夫为卧底特工将约 25,000 美元现金兑换成比特币。在这次会议上，卧底特工向约瑟夫表示，约瑟夫兑换的钱来自购买“假货”物品的“富有的家庭主妇”。此外，约瑟夫表示有兴趣从卧底特工那里购买假冒商品。

“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.”

“这一定罪证明，约瑟夫先生非常愿意帮助犯罪分子隐藏他们的犯罪现金流，以试图掩盖非法活动，”联邦调查局波士顿分部的特工乔迪·科恩说。 “联邦调查局和我们的合作伙伴感谢陪审团的服务和迅速的裁决。”

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.

与联邦法律法规相反，约瑟夫从未向财政部登记其汇款业务，也从未在会议期间要求卧底特工出示身份证明。

“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.

负责新州国土安全调查的特别探员迈克尔·J·克罗尔 (Michael J. Krol) 表示：“犯罪分子依靠艾伦·约瑟夫 (Alan Joseph) 开展的洗钱活动来掩盖自己的收益，帮助犯罪企业逃避侦查、提高利润率并避免纳税义务。”英国。

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.

洗钱罪名可判处最高 20 年监禁、最高三年监管释放以及 25 万美元罚款。经营未经许可的汇款业务的罪名最高可判处五年监禁、三年以下监管释放以及 25 万美元罚款。判决由联邦地区法院法官根据《美国量刑指南》和管辖刑事案件判决的法规作出。

“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.

“艾伦·约瑟夫通过美国邮政收到了钱，随后将其洗成比特币。这一定罪向任何认为可以非法利用美国邮政谋取私利的人发出了严厉警告。美国邮政检查局将继续坚定不移地履行我们的使命，保护美国邮政及其客户免受任何非法活动的侵害，”负责新英格兰美国邮政检查局的检查员凯蒂·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.

美国检察官 Levy、FBI SAC Cohen、HSI SAC Krol、代理 IRS-CI SAC Wlodyka 和 USPIS Inc Larco Ward 宣布了这一消息。美国刑事部门助理检察官约翰·T·马尔卡希 (John T. Mulcahy) 和林赛·E·韦恩斯坦 (Lindsey E. Weinstein) 起诉了此案。