Tag: money laundering

$312 Billion in Chinese Money Laundering Networks Is Driving the Drug Crisis and Human Trafficking in the US

The Treasury Department has confirmed a national security and public safety disaster: Chinese money-laundering networks have pushed more than $312 billion in illicit transactions through U.S. financial institutions in recent years. 

That money financed Mexican drug cartels, enabled human traffickers, and supported organized criminal networks that have left tens of thousands of Americans dead from fentanyl overdoses and other cartel-driven violence.

According to FINCEN.gov, financial institutions filed 1,675 BSA reports in the dataset indicating suspicious activity potentially involving human trafficking or human smuggling.

FINCEN.gov also discovered funds potentially associated with healthcare fraud, elder abuse, and suspicious gaming activity.

What makes these Chinese Money Laundering Networks (CMLNs) especially dangerous is their coordination with Mexico’s most violent cartels, including the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation organizations. 

Mexico’s strict limits on U.S. dollar deposits force cartels to look abroad, while China’s own capital controls make moving money out of the country nearly impossible through legal channels. 

Criminals found the perfect solution: CMLNs convert cartel drug profits in dollars into Chinese renminbi and then cycle those funds back into the U.S. banking system. 

The cartels get clean money. China’s elites get access to American assets. And Americans pay the price in drug overdoses, gang violence, and financial corruption.

Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) documented 137,153 suspicious activity reports between 2020 and 2024 linked directly to CMLNs. 

These reports describe methods ranging from mirror transactions and trade-based laundering to the use of so-called “money mules.” 

Students, retirees, and homemakers with little or no income were recruited to make large deposits that far exceeded their financial profiles. This layering of ordinary citizens into billion-dollar schemes makes detection more difficult and gives cartels longer lifelines.

FinCEN also found $53.7 billion in suspicious real estate transactions, much of it in major cities where foreign buyers already distort housing markets. 

Another $766 million was tied to adult day-care centers in New York, which investigators believe could be linked to healthcare fraud, elder abuse, and even human trafficking. 

More than 1,600 cases pointed to human smuggling and trafficking operations, while another 108 cases were tied directly to elder abuse and Medicare fraud. 

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Politico: Former Vatican Auditor Alleges System Enabled Money Laundering

Politico has published new claims from Libero Milone, a former auditor from Deloitte who was appointed by the Vatican in 2015. Milone alleges that the Vatican’s payroll agency was able to change names and account numbers on transactions after they were processed, allowing funds to be sent to private clients without revealing their identities.

According to Sleuth News, the U.S. intelligence community may have been involved. Sleuth News did not provide evidence to substantiate this claim but linked it to past reporting on Neustar’s role in projects tied to the 2016–2017 investigation.

Sleuth News specializes in deep dives into Russiagate, FOIA litigation, and related political and legal documents.

Vice President Vance told Gateway Pundit Publisher Jim Hoft that investigations related to the 2016 efforts to undermine and subvert Trump’s victory and first term are underway.

Revelations about Russiagate have been spilling out for weeks, even though the mainstream media has refused to cover it. Former CIA Director John Brennan has been caught lying about the releases. Law Prof Jonathan Turley suggests part of the motivation for their silence, is they don’t want to admit the role the media played in the Russiagate hoax against President Trump and his 2016 election victory.

The Federalist’s Mollie Hemingway’s summary of the releases so far is that “Democrats should be scared.”

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Corrupt Democrat Rep. Caught Taking Bribes

In 2013, U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar and his wife took a seemingly routine trip to Turkey and Azerbaijan, funded by an obscure Houston-based nonprofit. 

What followed, federal prosecutors now allege, was a years-long scheme involving foreign influence, money laundering, and one of the most serious indictments ever brought against a sitting member of Congress.

According to a federal indictment unsealed last week, Cuellar and his wife accepted nearly $600,000 in bribes from two foreign entities: Azerbaijan’s state-owned oil company, SOCAR, and Mexico’s Banco Azteca. 

Prosecutors allege that Cuellar, a Democrat from Laredo, Texas, used his office to advance the interests of these entities in exchange for payments disguised as consulting fees to shell companies owned by his wife. 

The indictment accuses Cuellar of acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government—a rare charge previously brought against Sen. Bob Menendez in 2023 for working on behalf of Egypt.

The Cuellars allegedly funneled money through front companies, spent it on luxury items such as a $12,000 gown and restaurant bills, and concealed the transactions through intermediaries. 

One of those intermediaries, Florencio “Lencho” Rendon, a longtime associate of Cuellar, has already pleaded guilty to money laundering. So has Colin Strother, Cuellar’s former chief of staff and campaign manager, who prosecutors say funneled monthly payments to Cuellar’s wife.

Prosecutors claim the payments began in 2014, shortly after Cuellar’s trip to Azerbaijan. In text messages and emails, Cuellar allegedly communicated directly with Elin Suleymanov, then Azerbaijan’s ambassador to the U.S., discussing contracts, payments, and legislation favorable to the country. 

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Louisiana Police Chiefs Indicted for Immigration Fraud and Money Laundering

A federal grand jury from the Western District of Louisiana has returned an indictment against five men in Louisiana. Two police chiefs, a city marshal, a business owner, and a former police chief are all accused of exploiting the U.S. immigration system for their own profit. 

The prosecutors allege that by filing false police reports, these men were able to fraudulently produce hundreds of U-Visas, special non-immigrant visas reserved for victims or witnesses of serious crimes who assist law enforcement.

Acting U.S. Attorney Alexander Van Hook announced these charges are being leveled by the Homeland Security Task Force as part of “Operation Take Back America.”

The 62-count indictment released on Wednesday includes allegations of conspiracy, bribery, mail fraud, immigration fraud, visa fraud, and money laundering. The alleged conspiracy lasted for nearly a decade, from December 2015 to July 2025, according to the 21-page indictment.

“This was a very complex investigation,” said Van Hook. “It involved some very sophisticated law enforcement techniques. It was really top notch.” 

Businessman Chandrakant Patel is accused of orchestrating the scheme by collecting payments from illegal aliens in the United States. Patel then allegedly coordinated with law enforcement officers across multiple jurisdictions in Louisiana to file fake police reports and obtain fraudulent U-Visas. 

These false reports, signed by law enforcement officers, allowed foreign nationals to remain in the United States illegally. The indictment details how Oakdale Police Chief Chad Doyle, City Marshal Michael Slaney, Forest Hill Police Chief Chad Dixon, and former Glenmora Police Chief Tibo Onishea each filed false police reports that supported U-Visa applications. 

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7 Chinese nationals charged in MASSIVE money laundering, human smuggling, drug trafficking operation

Seven Chinese nationals have been charged in connection to a conspiracy to cultivate as well as distribute marijuana in the Northeastern United States. They undertook this operation by using a network of single-family houses in Massachusetts as well as Maine, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).  

A press release from the DOJ on the charges stated that Jianxiong Chen, 39; Yuxiong Wu, 36; Dinghui Li, 38; Dechao Ma, 35; Peng Lian Zhu, 35; Hongbin Wu, 35; and Yanrong Zhu, 47 were all charged in connection to the network distributing the drugs around the Northeast. Six of the defendants were taken into custody earlier this week, with Yanrong Zhu still on the run as a fugitive.  

Most of the Chinese nationals have been charged with money laundering as well as conspiracy, and some were also charged with bringing assisting with bringing foreign nationals to the US illegally.

US Attorney Leah B. Foley said of the charges, “This case pulls back the curtain on a sprawling criminal enterprise that exploited our immigration system and our communities for personal gain. These defendants allegedly turned quiet homes across the Northeast into hubs for a criminal enterprise – building a multi-million-dollar black-market operation off the backs of an illegal workforce and using our neighborhoods as cover. That ends today.” 

The DOJ further stated, “According to the charging documents, from in or about January 2020, the defendants allegedly owned, operated or partnered with a network of interconnected grow houses in Massachusetts and Maine to cultivate and distribute kilogram-sized quantities of marijuana in bulk. Specifically, the enterprise allegedly operated grow houses in Braintree, Mass.; Melrose, Mass.; and Greenfield, Mass., among other locations in Massachusetts, Maine and elsewhere.” 

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Israeli Mossad named as funder of Gaza Humanitarian Foundation

Top Israeli lawmakers have accused their government of laundering massive sums through a shadowy network of US humanitarian and mercenary orgs. The weaponized aid initiative is the linchpin of Israel’s plan to ethnically cleanse northern Gaza by forcing the starving population into concentration camp-like hubs.

Israel’s scheme to commandeer aid distribution in Gaza ended in chaos on May 27, with Israeli soldiers reportedly opening fire on stampeding crowds of hungry Palestinians after just 8000 boxes of rations were handed out by an opaque organization calling itself the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

Founded this February in Switzerland under a cloud of mystery, GHF serves as an umbrella for a network of private mercenary firms which Israel is using to supplant the role of the United Nations in feeding Palestinians after bringing them to the brink of starvation.

At the moment, the public has no idea who is funding the opaque aid boondoggle. A GHF spokesman told the Washington Post “the foundation has already secured $100 million from an undisclosed donor.” 

Right-wing Israeli opposition figure and Member of Knesset Avigdor Lieberman proclaimed that GHF’s mysterious financial angel was, in fact, the Israeli government. “The money for humanitarian aid comes from the Mossad and the Ministry of Defense,” Lieberman wrote on Twitter/X, complaining, “Hundreds of millions of dollars at the expense of Israeli citizens.”

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Biden’s AUTOPEN REGIME laundered $93 BILLION through Energy Department right before Trump took office, exposing last-ditch money grab by oligarchs

The Biden autopen regime’s final days in power were marked by a frenzied, unchecked spending spree — one that saw $93 billion in taxpayer-funded loans and commitments handed out by the Department of Energy (DOE) in just 76 days. This staggering figure, more than double the total loaned in the previous 15 years combined, reveals a desperate last-ditch effort by unelected oligarchs to funnel taxpayer money into the hands of politically connected entities before President Trump could take office.

During a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, Energy Secretary Christopher Wright confirmed that many of these loans were approved without basic due diligence — no business plans, no financials, just empty promises. The sheer scale of this financial recklessness exposes the Biden autopen regime’s true legacy: a government hijacked by elites who treated the Treasury as their personal slush fund.

Key points:

  • The Biden Department of Energy rushed $93 billion in loans and commitments in just 76 days — more than double the total from the previous 15 years.
  • Many recipients had no business plans or financial records, raising serious fraud concerns. Energy Secretary Christopher Wright admitted oversight was nonexistent, calling the spending “shameful.”
  • The DOE’s budget ballooned from 60billionto60billionto160 billion under Biden, with zero accountability. This mirrors other last-minute money grabs, including a $100 billion EPA grant scheme exposed by Project Veritas.

The 76-day money laundering frenzy

Between the 2024 election and Biden’s departure, the DOE transformed into a financial free-for-all. Senator John Kennedy (R-La.) grilled Wright on how such massive sums could be approved scrutiny scrutiny.

“So you’re telling me that the Department of Energy… gave or loaned money to entities that had no business plan?” Kennedy demanded.

“Correct,” Wright replied.

“No financials?”

“Correct.”

Wright confirmed that applicants often submitted half-baked ideas, with some promising to develop a business plan after receiving taxpayer funds. The lack of oversight was so blatant that Wright admitted his “blood pressure is rising” just reviewing the reckless spending.

Kennedy summed it up perfectly: “They were spending money at the Department of Energy like it was ditch water.”

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Under The Guise Of Charity: CIA’s Hidden Money Laundering Network Exposed

We’re diving deeper into our investigation of CIA actions that contradict U.S. national interests. Today, we uncover another CIA-affiliated company using taxpayer money to supply Ukraine with weapons and military equipment — outside the scope of official aid packages.

Typically, money laundering scandals involve substantial sums, ranging from tens of millions to billions of dollars. In such cases, unscrupulous individuals are driven by greed and fear that this rare chance for enrichment might slip away, making it crucial to act quickly before the opportunity vanishes. The record suggests that most schemes unravel precisely in these moments of haste.

And it seems the CIA has also recognized this risk, shifting its approach toward laundering relatively small amounts while increasing the number of transactions. This method significantly reduces the chance of detection, even with high financial transparency, avoiding unnecessary scrutiny from oversight bodies. While the scheme appears to work effectively, one can’t help but wish that the CIA had used these skills for more constructive purposes.

Now, we will discuss a non-profit organization called the American Rescue Project (ARP), based in Washington D.C., at 800 Maine Ave SW suite 400.

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Coalition of 19 GOP AGs Launch Investigation Into ActBlue Over Money Laundering Allegations

Acoalition of 19 Republican state attorneys general have launched a criminal investigation into the Democrat fundraising platform ActBlue over allegations of money laundering.

As American Greatness reported in April, multiple independent investigative journalists, including O’Keefe Media Group (OMG) and Election Watch have uncovered what appears to be illegal activity involving millions of dollars in campaign donations to Act Blue that have been laundered through unwitting small donors.

The process of breaking up large donations and submitting them under the names of small donors to cover up illegal contributions has been dubbed “smurfing.” Suspicions that ActBlue routinely engages in this type of illicit fundraising have dogged the outfit since at least Joe Biden’s presidential campaign in 2020.

The Committee on House Administration, chaired by Congressman Bryan Steil (R-Wisc.), launched an investigation into Act Blue in November of 2023 to look into reports that the fundraising giant was skirting campaign donation laws and allowing rampant fraud on the site. The committee widened its probe in August 2024.

In a letter sent to top officials on the Federal Election Commission (FEC) on August 5, Steil urged them to “immediately initiate an emergency rulemaking to require political campaigns to verify the card verification value (‘CVV’) of donors who contribute online using a credit or debit card, and to prohibit political campaigns from accepting online contributions from a gift card or other prepaid credit cards.”

In September, Steil sent letters to five states, urging them to launch criminal investigations into ActBlue’s alleged illicit activities, citing three specific areas of concern:
– Donations significantly disproportionate to an individual’s net worth or previous giving history.
– Uncharacteristic donations from party-affiliated registered voters suddenly contributing to candidates of the opposing party.
– Unusually frequent donations from elderly individuals or first-time donors.

The number of GOP AGs involved in the effort has since swelled to 19.

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The Curious Case of the Man Who Bought Most of Hunter Biden’s Overpriced Art

How did the Central Intelligence Agency get threaded into the Hunter Biden scandal? We don’t know, but they interfered with federal investigators looking into Hunter Biden’s activities. A whistleblower has come forward alleging that Langley blocked investigators from interviewing attorney Kevin Morris, who is not just a crucial Hunter Biden ally but the primary purchaser of his overpriced art. Mr. Morris paid Hunter’s tax bills, helped subsidize his opulent lifestyle, and seemingly had the protection of the CIA. 

Morris is a big Democratic Party donor, so protection from the Biden Department of Justice wouldn’t be unusual, but the CIA? Mr. Morris appears to be a jack-of-all-trades character within the Biden orbit. Law professor Jonathan Turley, who disclosed that he was threatened with a lawsuit by Morris, broke down this intriguing tale. Morris was not just a money man for the crack-cocaine-addicted son of the president, he was also an attack dog, reportedly organizing hit campaigns against the enemies of the Biden family. Look, when someone loans your son over $6 million, you better believe there’s going to be some ironclad protections for that individual (via Turley): 

The New York Post has created a stir in Washington with its report that a whistleblower claims that the CIA reportedly blocked federal investigators from interviewing Kevin Morris, the entertainment lawyer who has subsidized the expenses and bought the art of Hunter Biden. 

[…] 

He’s Hunter’s confidant, art patron, business partner, and his lawyer. 

Now there is a suggestion that we might have to add CIA asset or protected person. 

The unnamed whistleblower told the House Oversight and Judiciary Committee that the “intelligence agency stopped IRS and Justice Department investigators from interviewing Morris in August 2021.” That has led Oversight chairman James Comer (R-KY) and Judiciary chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) to demand answers from the CIA on whether two DOJ officials were summoned to CIA headquarters in Langley, Va. to discourage their interviewing Morris. 

Given the allegations of special treatment by the Justice Department (including blocking efforts to interview Hunter or search Biden properties), this latest report is obviously quite serious. One would expect that the CIA would simply say that no such meeting related to the Hunter Biden investigation occurred. Instead, the agency responded that it “does not obstruct investigations.” The spokesman added   “CIA does not comment on specific investigations. We can say that CIA cooperates with law enforcement partners and does not obstruct investigations. CIA also fully and routinely cooperates with our oversight committees and will continue to do so.” 

Hunter met Morris when he attended a political fundraiser as a major donor. 

Soon thereafter, he warned Biden associates that Hunter’s unpaid taxes raised political problems during Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential run. 

He later proceeded to pay off Hunter’s taxes and to subsidize his lavish lifestyle. 

He also took an apparent lead in planning public campaigns against the critics of the Bidens, reportedly pushing a scorched-earth approach to attack potential witnesses and accusers. 

[…] 

Most recently, it was revealed that, despite accounts of buyers flocking to buy Hunter’s overpriced art, it was Morris all along who bought most of the pieces. 

How the CIA would fit into any of this is anyone’s guess. 

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