Publications
Rulings Shrink Money Laundering Statutes
The federal money laundering statutes have long been a powerful weapon in the prosecution’s arsenal. In addition to severe penalties and sweeping forfeiture provisions, the statutes criminalize conduct involving 250 predicate offenses, thus providing a potent federal tool to investigate and prosecute a vast array of criminal conduct.
However, in two decisions issued on June 2, Cuellar v. United States and United States v. Santos, the U.S. Supreme Court carefully parsed the language and meaning of these statues, and in the process narrowed their reach.