Money Laundering

A charge for money laundering can arise in Ocean County anytime someone takes illegally procured property and attempts to create the appearance that it was derived legitimately. Although money laundering is classically associated with activities like drug distribution, theft by deception, insurance fraud, gambling and prostitution, the offense can arise in almost any context where money is obtained through crime. If you are under investigation or have already been indicted by the Economic Crime Unit of the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office or the Office of the Attorney General, you definitely need to hire a skilled lawyer if you want to avoid incarceration and other penalties.

At Marshall & Bonus, we can offer representation from a team of criminal attorneys that can fully protect your liberty and interests. We are former prosecutors and other knowledgeable trial advocates that have helped many individuals just like you at the Ocean County Superior Court in Toms River over the last several decades. Our firm defend charges filed anywhere in the county including in Brick, Toms River, Lakewood, Jackson and Manchester. An attorney on our team will effectively defend your money laundering charge so that your life remains intact and case resolved with minimum impact to your future. To speak to a lawyer in a free initial consultation, contact our Toms River Office at (732) 286-6500.

To convict a defendant of money laundering under N.J.S.A. 2C:21-25, the State must demonstrate that the accused engaged in one of the following activities:

1. Transportation or possession of property known or which a reasonable person would believe to be derived from criminal activity;
2. Engaging in a transaction involving property known or which a reasonable person would believe to be derived from criminal activity; or
3. Directing, organizing, financing, planning, managing, supervising, or controlling the transportation of or transactions in property known or which a reasonable person would believe to be derived from criminal activity.

A charge for money laundering will either be a crime of the first, second or third degree. While each of these is an indictable offenses in Ocean County, a third degree crime does not carry a presumption of a custodial sentence, like a first or second degree crime would. For the charge to rise to a crime of the first degree, the value of the property or money involved must be at least $500,000. For the charge to to be classified as a crime of the second degree, the value of the property or money involved must be at least $75,000, but less than $500,000. Finally, for charges of a crime in the third degree, the value of the property or money involved must be at less than $75,000.

The severity of a money laundering conviction will depend on the degree of crime enumerated in the original charges and conviction. If convicted of money laundering in the first degree, a defendant will serve up to twenty (20) years of imprisonment with a minimum term of parole ineligibility between one-third (1/3) and one (1/2) of the designated sentence. The court, at the request of the Ocean County Prosecutor, may also impose a $500,000 Anti-Money Laundering Penalty. Alternatively, the court may require a monetary penalty that is three (3) times the amount of the property involved, as well as the costs incurred during the civil and criminal investigations.

If convicted of money laundering in the second degree, the defendant will serve up to ten (10) years of incarceration. The court, at the request of the Ocean County Prosecutor, may also impose a $250,000 Anti-Money Laundering Penalty. Alternatively, the court may require a monetary penalty that is three (3) times the amount of the property involved, as well as, the costs incurred during the civil and criminal investigations.

If convicted of money laundering in the third degree, the defendant may serve up to five (5) years of imprisonment. The court, at the request of the Ocean County Prosecutor, may also impose a $75,000 Anti-Money Laundering Penalty. Alternatively, the court may require a monetary penalty that is three (3) times the amount of the property involved, as well as, the costs incurred during the civil and criminal investigations.

Beyond the above mentioned penalties, a defendant may also face civil actions, both by the State of New Jersey and privately.

The stakes are usually as high as they get in money laundering cases since they are frequently filed as a first degree crime. Retaining an attorney with the skill and knowledge to insure that you are afforded every opportunity to escape incarceration is therefore an imperative if you have been charged with money laundering. Call our lawyers at (732) 286-6500 to discuss the offense that was filed against you in Berkeley, Lacey, Little Egg Harbor, Stafford, Barnegat or elsewhere in Ocean County. A lawyer is available around the clock to help you.