BOSTON, Dec. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Three women who worked as ticket counter representatives for a major commercial airline at Logan International Airport have been arrested on charges that they laundered U.S. currency and smuggled cash out of the United States to the Dominican Republic.
United States Attorney Michael J. Sullivan; Matthew J. Etre, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in New England; Colonel Thomas G. Robbins, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; June W. Stansbury, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in New England; and George N. Naccara, Federal Security Director of the Transportation Security Administration at Boston Logan International Airport, announced today that ANA TEJEDA-HOLMES, age 40, of 10 First Street, Salem, Massachusetts, ANGIE MARINEZ, age 28, of One Brookline Place, Cambridge, Massachusetts, and MARIANELA SOSA, age 41, of 349 Summer Street, Lynn, Massachusetts, were arrested this morning on charges of Conducting Certain Financial Transactions with Money Represented to be Proceeds of Specified Unlawful Activity, Evading Currency Reporting Requirements, and Conspiracy to Evade Currency Reporting Requirements.
It is alleged that between February and September 2004, the three airline employees secretly transported U.S. currency that was represented to be the proceeds of narcotics transactions from Boston's Logan International Airport to the Dominican Republic on passenger flights. It is alleged that the women evaded security procedures at Logan International Airport to avoid scrutiny of the cash and currency reporting requirements, and delivered the cash to another person who was waiting at the airport in the Dominican Republic.
"Financial investigations such as this highlight the broad range of authorities available to ICE to protect the safety and security of our nation," stated ICE Acting Special Agent in Charge Etre. "The defendants allegedly carried out their money smuggling scheme through the bypassing of procedures put in place for national security. ICE is committed to investigating those individuals who potentially compromise our nation's security."
TEJADA-HOLMES, MARINEZ and SOSA will appear later today in federal court before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. Upon conviction, the maximum sentence on the Conspiracy charge is 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine; 20 years in prison and a $500,000 for each of the Money Laundering charges; and 10 years and a $250,000 fine for each of the Evasion of Currency Reporting Requirements charges. Each of the charges also carry 3 year terms of supervised release.
The investigation is continuing.
The case is being investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Transportation Security Administration with the assistance of the Massachusetts State Police and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aloke S. Chakravarty in Sullivan's Anti-Terrorism and National Security Section.
The details contained in the Indictment are allegations. The defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
CONTACT: Samantha Martin, Press Contact, U.S. Attorney, +1-617-748-3139
SOURCE U.S. Attorney
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