U.S. indicts 39 in global money laundering case

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

U.S. indicts 39 in global money laundering case
Thu Sep 20, 2007 10:43pm EDT

By JoAnne Allen

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A federal grand jury in
Baltimore has indicted 39 people in an international
money laundering scheme using an informal currency
transfer system known as hawala, the U.S. Justice
Department said on Thursday.

The defendants and one business face charges including
money laundering, conspiracy to bribe a public official
and operating unlicensed money transmitting businesses,
U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein said in a statement.

-snip-

During the four-year investigation, authorities found
evidence of four separate criminal schemes in the United
States, Spain, Canada and Belgium, the U.S. attorney
said.

One indictment says that hawala money-transmitting
businesses operated by defendant Saifullah Ranjha and
others laundered millions of dollars that they believed
were the proceeds of illegal activities such as drug
dealing and that Ranjha also is accused of laundering
money that he believed was destined for al Qaeda.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN2018250820070921

[Javaman]

1. And here I thought it was going to be a story on Halliburton. nt