Practice Areas

Money Laundering

Money laundering charges rarely stand alone. Prosecutors almost always pair them with an underlying offense, fraud, drug trafficking, tax evasion, or racketeering, and use the laundering count to multiply exposure and pressure a plea. A conviction under 18 U.S.C. § 1956 or § 1957, or California Penal Code § 186.10, carries the risk of significant prison time, asset forfeiture, and a permanent mark on your record.

At Samson Law, we defend individuals and businesses under investigation or already charged with laundering financial proceeds of alleged illegal funds through banks, real estate, shell companies, cryptocurrency, or cash transactions. We know how federal and state prosecutors build these cases, and where those cases are vulnerable.

Why Money Laundering Cases Are Different

Money laundering allegations are built on financial records: wire transfers, bank statements, shell entity filings, and forensic accounting reports, and communications. These cases are document-heavy and detail-driven, which means the government’s evidence can take months to unravel, and the defense often lives in the details prosecutors assume no one will scrutinize.

We work closely with forensic accountants and financial investigators to trace the government’s theory of the transaction, challenge the claimed connection to “specified unlawful activity,” and identify whether the intent element, knowledge that funds were criminally derived, or intent to conceal or promote unlawful activity, can actually be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

Charges We Defend

Federal money laundering (18 U.S.C. §§ 1956, 1957)
State money laundering (California Penal Code § 186.10)
Structuring / “smurfing” to evade reporting requirements (31 U.S.C. § 5324)
Failure to file Currency Transaction Reports or FBARs
Laundering charges connected to fraud, drug trafficking, or organized crime investigations

Our Approach

Every money laundering case starts the same way for us: understand the underlying transaction before the government’s narrative sets in. That means:

Reviewing financial records independently rather than accepting the prosecution’s summary charts at face value
Challenging whether the government can prove you knew the funds were tied to criminal activity
Identifying Fourth Amendment and subpoena issues in how financial records were obtained
Negotiating early with prosecutors and regulators to limit charges or resolve matters short of indictment
Preparing an aggressive trial defense when a fair resolution isn’t on the table

Protect Yourself Before You Talk to Federal Agents

If federal agents, IRS-CI, or state investigators have contacted you about a financial transaction, do not explain yourself before speaking with an attorney. Early statements are the single most common way these cases get harder to defend. Samson Law is available to step in immediately, before an indictment, during a grand jury investigation, or after charges have already been filed.

Call (818) 422-0888 for a confidential consultation. We represent clients throughout Los Angeles and across California, in English, Spanish, Armenian, and Russian.

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