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Federal money laundering cases often follow allegations of fraud, drug trafficking, cybercrime, sanctions violations, tax crimes, business disputes, or financial transactions prosecutors claim were designed to conceal, promote, or move unlawful proceeds.
Lebedin Kofman LLP defends clients accused of federal money laundering in EDNY, SDNY, and related investigations. The firm reviews the transaction history, alleged source of funds, intent evidence, financial records, forfeiture exposure, and whether the government can prove the required connection to specified unlawful activity.
What Is at Stake in a Federal Case
Money laundering charges can increase sentencing exposure, trigger forfeiture, freeze accounts, disrupt businesses, create restitution claims, affect immigration and licensing, and add pressure in a broader fraud, narcotics, or conspiracy case.
Issues That Need Immediate Review
- Whether the funds were proceeds of specified unlawful activity
- Whether the client knew the funds were criminal proceeds
- Whether transactions were designed to conceal, promote, avoid reporting, or move funds unlawfully
- Whether forfeiture, restraining orders, seizures, or account freezes are at issue
- Whether financial records are being interpreted accurately
- Whether the case overlaps with fraud, narcotics, tax, sanctions, or cybercrime allegations
Evidence and Procedure We Evaluate
- Bank records, wire transfers, checks, ledgers, invoices, contracts, and accounting files
- Business records, tax records, corporate documents, and beneficial ownership records
- Subpoenas, seizure warrants, restraining orders, forfeiture complaints, and search warrants
- Emails, texts, chats, cloud files, payment-app data, and cryptocurrency records
- Forensic accounting, loss calculations, source-of-funds analysis, and expert reports
- Cooperator statements, audit findings, compliance files, and regulatory communications
Defense Strategies We Consider
- No proof the money came from specified unlawful activity
- No knowledge, concealment intent, promotion intent, or reporting-avoidance intent
- Legitimate business purpose or good-faith transaction explanation
- Financial records are incomplete, misread, or missing context
- Unlawful seizure, warrant, subpoena, or compelled-statement issue
- Forfeiture challenge, expert accounting review, negotiation, trial, or sentencing strategy
EDNY, SDNY, and New York Federal Court Strategy
Money laundering cases in SDNY and EDNY often involve large document productions, financial institutions, forensic accountants, parallel civil proceedings, and asset-restraint issues. Early defense work can preserve business operations, challenge forfeiture assumptions, and shape the government?s view of intent.
How Lebedin Kofman LLP Helps
The firm evaluates the investigation, charges, discovery, search issues, statements, subpoenas, digital evidence, financial records, witness issues, Guidelines exposure, forfeiture, restitution, immigration consequences, licensing concerns, and trial posture. The defense may involve early intervention, proffer strategy, suppression motions, discovery litigation, expert review, plea negotiation, trial preparation, sentencing mitigation, or appeal-preservation strategy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I talk to federal agents if I think I can explain?
No one should speak with federal agents, prosecutors, investigators, compliance personnel, or cooperating witnesses about the facts before consulting counsel. Even truthful but incomplete answers can create serious problems in a federal investigation.
Does being under investigation mean I will be arrested?
Not always. Some federal matters begin with subpoenas, target letters, search warrants, interviews, or contact from agents. Early defense work may affect whether charges are filed, what charges are filed, and how the case is positioned if an arrest or indictment follows.
Related Federal Criminal Defense Pages
- Federal Criminal Defense
- EDNY Federal Criminal Defense
- SDNY Federal Criminal Defense
- Federal Conspiracy
- Federal Sentencing
- Fraud Defense
- Wire Fraud
- Bank Fraud
- Federal Drug Trafficking
Request a confidential consultation if you received a subpoena, target letter, complaint, indictment, search warrant, or contact from federal agents.