A Bronx man admitted Tuesday to his role in a large international money laundering conspiracy and using a stolen identity in the scheme.
Orlando Delgado, 31, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and one count of identity fraud and faces 10 years in prison if convicted. He will be sentenced Feb. 8, 2022.
According to the investigation, from August 2018 through December 2019, Delgado laundered more than $6.5 million in cash drug proceeds on behalf of a large-scale money laundering organization with close ties to drug trafficking organizations in the Dominican Republic and elsewhere. Delgado accepted large amounts of cash drug proceeds and laundered it by purchasing more than 390 cashier’s checks at local bank branches in New Jersey, New York and Florida.
The checks were made payable to individuals and companies specified by the leaders of the money laundering organization. By converting the drug proceeds to cashier’s checks, Delgado tried to hide the source of the illegal cash and avoid scrutiny by law enforcement and banks.
In August 2019, Delgado obtained a fraudulent identification card in someone else’s name and used it to open multiple bank accounts, which he then used to purchase more than $1.5 million in cashier’s checks with cash drug proceeds.
