Big crime is global big business, and the organization headed by Monica Dominguez Torres spanned the U.S. and Mexico. Why? Because it operated methamphetamine labs that converted liquid meth into crystal meth, heading for Atlanta and other cities in and around Georgia. The head of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Atlanta Field Office said, “Methamphetamine conversion laboratories present an immediate and significant threat to communities across the United States. These clandestine operations endanger the public through toxic chemicals, fire hazards and their ties to transnational criminal networks.”
The criminal investigation of the illicit business of Torres was a multiagency effort involving the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), IRS Criminal Investigations, the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF), the FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Georgia state law enforcement agencies.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Torres and her associates operated out of several residences in the Atlanta area to collect and launder millions of dollars in proceeds from methamphetamine sales.
Criminal enterprises often rely on both money laundering and tax crimes to conceal illegal proceeds. Large cash purchases, undeclared income, and efforts to hide ownership of assets frequently attract the attention of IRS Criminal Investigation.
Torres and her crew used large purchases to move dirty money through the laundering process. She purchased millions in luxury goods and significant real estate holdings. According to reports, Torres owned five residences, including a seven-bedroom waterfront property in Jonesboro, Georgia. Several of these residences were purchased in cash.
When it comes to tax evasion or money laundering, luxury vehicles often top the list, and this outfit was no different: Her friends spent $780,000 on nine luxury vehicles. With a taste for designer names, Torres also spent $400,000 on Louis Vuitton and more than $425,000 on Burberry goods over a four-and-a-half-year period. When the jig was up, law enforcement seized $3.5 million in cash from these residences and other stash locations. When she was arrested in Conyers, Georgia, Torres had $1.7 million in cash, five firearms, and three vehicles.
The investigation also highlights the role of IRS Criminal Investigation in complex financial crime cases involving money laundering, undeclared income, and efforts to conceal criminal proceeds.
Eventually, even a well-financed criminal enterprise is targeted by law enforcement. For her part, 37-year-old Monica Dominguez Torres, of Michoacán, Mexico, was sentenced to 20 years in prison and ordered to forfeit $1,750,961, a Cadillac Escalade, a firearm, and four houses. Although she will not have access to her Escalade, she will have company. A number of her friends and associates will be serving varying sentences, including her husband, son, and nephew. Five other individuals are waiting for trial.
If you are involved in a tax crime or money laundering scheme and 20 years in prison is not just a hypothetical, consulting an experienced criminal tax attorney is an important step. You can compare and contrast tax schemes and their consequences with our guide, “Will I Be Charged with Criminal Tax Fraud?”
If IRS Criminal Investigation appears to already be involved, contact Robert J. Fedor, Esq., L.L.C., at 440-250-9709 to speak with one of our criminal tax lawyers. We serve clients internationally and throughout Northeast Ohio, Chicago, and New York City from our offices in Cleveland and Chicago.