Dutch National Receives 33-Month Prison Sentence for Money Laundering in Northern District of New York

Xiomara Christian, a 37-year-old resident of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, has been sentenced to 33 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division.

In her guilty plea on October 10, 2024, Christian confessed to participating in a scheme where she and a co-conspirator laundered drug proceeds from Europe and Australia through bank accounts in the Northern District of New York. The purpose was to hide the origin of the money and create the illusion that it was obtained legally through legitimate business transactions.

On October 4, 2018, Christian handed over €101,950 ($114,816.09) in drug proceeds to an undercover agent from the National Police of The Netherlands. The exchange took place in The Netherlands. The very next day, another co-conspirator in Melbourne, Australia, handed over $85,000 AUD ($57,843 USD) in drug proceeds to an undercover agent from the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission. Christian then proceeded to transfer the money through a bank account in Latham, New York, before sending it to bank accounts in Panama.

Alongside the prison sentence, Senior United States District Judge Lawrence E. Kahn has also mandated a money judgment against Christian, totaling $172,659. Once her time behind bars is complete, Christian may be subject to deportation from the United States.

The case was investigated by the DEA, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas Collyer handling the prosecution.

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