A Boston man has been handed a 10-year prison sentence for his role in a money laundering scheme that aided Mexican drug cartels.
Mark Anthony Figueroa, also known as Angel Figueroa, 50, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns, who also imposed a $30,000 fine and ordered the forfeiture of over $700,000, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
Figueroa, convicted in March 2023 of one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, worked to conceal the origins of drug proceeds by arranging to secretly transfer cash to currency couriers.
From February 2019 through May 2020, Figueroa was involved in, or attempted to be involved in, six transactions that funneled more than half a million dollars in cash.
The funds were then moved through the U.S. banking system into Mexican accounts to be eventually turned into pesos, available for the cartels to purchase narcotics destined for American streets.
This sentencing marks a significant victory for an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation aimed at breaking the back of criminal networks that pose threats to the nation.
The OCDETF uses a coordinated, intelligence-driven approach, bringing together prosecutors and law enforcement from multiple agencies to take down high-level targets.
Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy, alongside DEA and Homeland Security Investigations officials, hailed the sentencing as a result of collaborative law enforcement efforts. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leah B. Foley and Evan D. Panich of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit, demonstrating the continued resolve to cut off the lifeblood that to fuel criminal enterprises.