Money launderer gets prison sentence

An airplane broker from Chula Vista was sentenced Oct. 11 to five years in federal prison for money laundering involving drug proceeds.

Vicente Contreras-Amezquita, 47, pleaded guilty March 1 to conspiracy to launder money by avoiding cash reporting requirements, and conspiracy to engage in monetary transactions. He has been detained for almost two years and was expected to get credit for that time behind bars.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherri Walker Hobson asked U.S. District Court Judge Michael Anello to impose an 87-month term, while his attorneys asked for a 30-month sentence.

Hobson said Contreras-Amezquita operated 46 bank accounts including some in Chula Vista and deposited less than $10,000 in cash each time to avoid currency transaction reports to the U.S. Treasury Department. He purchased over 35 airplanes for exportation to Mexico to help hide the origin of money from drug proceeds, she said.

He was the owner and manager of Aeropartes Baja and Verve Corporation which are located in Chula Vista. The U.S. Attorney’s office said Contreras-Amezquita received bulk cash at parking lots, strip malls, fast-food restaurants, and aircraft hangars.

Federal agents seized $104,000 in cash during a 2011 traffic stop and $249,820 was discovered in cardboard boxes on Dec. 19, 2011, according to court documents. That money was forfeited to the U.S. government.

“Money launderers who conceal and hide drug proceeds for drug traffickers will be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Alana Robinson.

“Federal agents worked diligently to unravel and prove this 5-year conspiracy, which involved laundering millions of dollars through convoluted financial transactions as part of a scheme to purchase airplanes with drug proceeds,” said Robinson.

“Regardless of your profession, if you assist drug dealers with their criminal activities, you will be punished,” said Special Agent R. Damon Rowe of IRS Criminal Investigation.

“This sentence is a reminder that people who launder money for drug traffickers are committing a serious crime,” said Drug Enforcement Administration agent William Sherman. “Living the high life on drug proceeds will lead to a crash and burn.”