Oil Wells Seized in ICE Money Laundering Case
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Oil Wells Seized In ICE Money Laundering Case n ICE investigation into a drug Amoney laundering scheme resulted 3 Red Flag Indicators in the January 25 seizure of an Arizona • Frequent or unusual use of trust funds in oil company and 43 oil wells in business transactions or financial activity. northwest Pennsylvania. • Financial transactions to countries known to be tax havens. A number of the company’s trusts and • Frequent use of nominee business owners acting bank accounts in Europe were also seized as representatives in transactions. as a result of the investigation, which stemmed from the 1981 drug smuggling The seized company, Shaboom Oil Inc., conviction of Paul Hindelang. headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, owned numerous operating wells and Safeguarding America Through “Like no other case in recent memory, this held the mineral rights to approximately Financial And Trade Investigations investigation demonstrates our perseverance in tracking down the ill-gotten gains of 1,100 acres of land in the Allegheny Volume II: No. 1 • February 2005 international crime lords,” said Jesus Torres, National Forest in northwest Pennsylvania. ICE’s Special Agent-in-Charge for Miami. In addition, ICE seized all ownership Inside this Issue shares of Shaboom Investments Inc., In the 1970s, Hindelang headed one of the a holding company based in Panama Cornerstone Investigations Updates: country’s biggest marijuana smuggling that owns the oil company. Selected Recent Cases . 2 enterprises, operating out of Florida. He Industry Alert: Stopping The Flow pled guilty to importing roughly 250 tons The oil company and associated assets seized Of Counterfeit Drugs . 3 of marijuana into the United States and in January were valued at $6.5 million— conspiring to import an additional bringing the total seized from Hindelang’s ICE Agents Honored For illicit investments to more than $70 mil- Intellectual Property Protection . 4 150,000 pounds. lion.The investigation into Hindelang’s ICE Case Updates: As part of his 1981 plea agreement, remaining drug funds continues. Intellectual Property Crime and Hindelang agreed to forfeit $640,000 Telemarketing Fraud . 4 to U.S. authorities—a sum that he said ICE worked with the Monroe County (Fla.) then represented the total of his illegally Sheriff’s Office in the effort to locate and Cornerstone Calendar . 5 earned assets. target Hindelang’s assets. $ However, federal investigators Cornerstone is U.S. Immigration later learned that Hindelang had and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) squirreled away millions of dol- comprehensive investigative lars of his ill-gotten drug funds initiative for fighting financial in a veritable maze of offshore crime, trade fraud and accounts and corporations in intellectual property crime. Switzerland, Panama, the Cayman The Cornerstone Report is a Islands and numerous other loca- quarterly bulletin highlighting tions. Hindelang admitted in key issues related to ICE financial 1997 that he had turned over his and trade investigations. drug fortune to a Costa Rican accomplice who managed his funds from a Swiss bank account. ICE’s investigative efforts to expose Hindelang’s holding resulted in the seizure of $50 Toll-FFree Tip Line: million from his accounts in 1-8866-DDHS-22ICE 1998. An additional $15 million An ICE investigation into drug money laundering led to www.ice.gov in illegal drug proceeds was the seizure of an oil company and 43 oil wells (similar seized in 1999. to the one pictured above) in January. Cornerstone Investigations Update: Selected Recent Cases Page 2 of 5 Six Indicted In The indictment alleges that Isidro Garza, a ances for his personal use. Raul Garza is also Volume II: No. 1 Scheme to Steal tribal gaming representative, used the oper- alleged to have stolen money from the February 2005 Tribal Casino Funds ating accounts of his tribe’s Lucky Eagle Kickapoo Community Health Services, the (San Antonio,Texas)—Six people, including Casino in Eagle Pass,Texas, for his own tribe’s health care provider. benefit, even using a corporate credit card a Texas state representative and a former trib- Isidro Garza’s son Timeo, a member of the to fund approximately $40,000 in expenses al leader, were indicted for their alleged roles Texas legislature, was also charged in the for an unsuccessful political campaign. in a scheme to steal a total of more than indictment, as were other members of the $900,000 from the Kickapoo Indian Tribe. Also named in the indictment is Raul Garza, Garza family and a local attorney. a former leader of the Kickapoo tribe, who The individuals named in the Dec. 9, 2004, The investigation was conducted by ICE in is alleged to have taken $213,000 in cash federal indictment face various charges of cooperation with the Internal Revenue withdrawals from the casino and used the conspiracy, theft, money laundering and tax Service, the FBI, and the Inspector General’s casino’s credit cards to purchase two all-ter- violations in a scheme to defraud the tribe office of the Department of Interior. of hundreds of thousands of dollars. rain vehicles, furniture and household appli- ICE Investigation Leads To Prison trips to Libya since 1995. In several of ICE investigators worked with the Internal Sentence For Terror Financier these trips, Alamoudi had met with offi- Revenue Service, the FBI and other compo- (Washington, D.C.)—A prominent leader of cials of the Libyan government to discuss a nents of the Department of Justice to American-Islamic political and charitable plot to assassinate Crown Prince Abdullah, investigate Alamoudi’s dealings and to organizations was sentenced to 23 years in the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, by bring the case to conclusion. prison October for his role in a bizarre financing and supporting two Saudi dissi- scheme to assassinate a prominent member dents living in London. of the ruling family of Saudi Arabia. Abdurahman Alamoudi, a naturalized ICE Cracks Massive Drug Trafficking, American citizen originally born in Eritrea, Money Laundering Scheme (Norfolk, $2 Million pleaded guilty to charges that he had violat- Va.)—A large-scale ICE investigation of Seized ed U.S. terrorism-related sanctions when he drug and money laundering in the U.S. traveled to and engaged in unlicensed com- southeast resulted in the dismantling of a merce with Libya. In addition, Alamoudi massive drug trafficking organization in was charged for his role in helping to January—with over 30 arrests in Virginia, transfer hundreds of thousands of dollars Maryland,Texas, Georgia, Kentucky and from Libya to finance the assassination plot other states. and for making false statements on his nat- The results of “Operation Blowfish,” uralization application. announced January 26, capped a lengthy According to court documents, Alamoudi, investigation into an international traffick- the founder of the American Muslim ing ring that moved marijuana, cocaine, Council and the American Muslim and crack cocaine from Mexico through Foundation, had made at least 10 illegal Texas to the southeastern United States. In addition to the indictments of 36 peo- 3 Red Flag Indicators ple for a wide range of offenses including • Use of multiple accounts to transfer funds to drug trafficking, money laundering and same foreign beneficiaries. firearms violations, agents seized $2.3 • Wire transfers from companies or individuals million in cash and 16 pieces of property. located in countries known to be bank or tax havens. The investigation was an interagency Moving money between business and personal A major ICE investigation into drug traffick- • effort that included ICE, the DEA, the IRS ing and money laundering in the southest accounts. and the Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement United States led to cash seizures of $2.3 Task Force. $ million and more than 30 arrests. Industry Alert: Stopping The Flow Of Counterfeit Drugs Page 3 of 5 riving a silver This case illustrates that counterfeit phar- Porsche 911 and maceuticals have emerged as a big Volume II: No. 1 D 3 Red Flag Indicators February 2005 dining on $1,000 din- business—and one which criminal organi- • Frequent and unusual use of money orders in ners with his girl- zations are prepared to exploit for profit. business transactions. friend, Mark Kolowich of San Diego pre- • Commingling of business and personal funds in These sales represent a serious liability for sented himself as a savvy businessman who bank accounts. the pharmaceutical industry and its had made a fortune selling Viagra and investors, as well as to the American people, other prescription drugs over the Internet. who contribute millions of tax dollars each But in reality, he was the organizer of one of year to research, develop and test new drugs. the nation’s largest criminal operations for Furthermore, patients also are potential trafficking in counterfeit pharmaceuticals. victims of this dangerous form of counter- On January 21, 2005, a federal judge feiting crime, since fake drugs don’t adhere in San Diego sentenced Kolowich to serve to standards for safety and effectiveness. 51 months in prison and to forfeit sub- The quality and potency of these fake stantial cash proceeds associated with his drugs—often produced in overseas facili- compromise consumer safety. Consumers, criminal enterprise. ties that aren’t regulated by U.S. health and health care professionals and business lead- safety standards—isn’t guaranteed. A total of 16 defendants from California, ers should be aware of the threats posed by $ Florida, Mexico and the Bahamas were The bottom line is that while the U.S. fake drugs. charged as the result of a cooperative pharmaceutical supply remains the safest in investigation involving ICE and a number the world, the infusion of counterfeit For more on ICE intellectual property investi- of other federal and local agencies. drugs into the supply line could serve to gations, visit us online at www.ice.gov.