Ramirez was among the twelve individuals who faced charges related to money laundering, narcotics trafficking, and extortion
An Arizona resident, Luis Ramirez, 43, from Mesa, was given a 51-month prison sentence in federal court in San Diego for his involvement in a conspiracy to commit access device fraud. Ramirez assisted in providing "leads" to fraudsters looking to steal money from unsuspecting victims' bank accounts. These "leads" included financial information such as bank account numbers obtained from payday loan applications across the U.S.
“Those who knowingly supply fraudsters with personal and financial information about potential victims cause enormous harm to the American public,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We are committed to investigating and prosecuting individuals who sell such information for illicit purposes.”
“The Postal Inspection Service is dedicated to protecting American consumers,” said Inspector in Charge Eric Shen of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s (USPIS) Criminal Investigations Group. “In this case, small transactions were used to conceal the scheme, but that wasn’t enough to fool postal inspectors or keep us from adding it all together to put a halt to this fraud.”
Additionally, Ramirez received a 120-month prison sentence in a separate case from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California. Judge Cynthia Bashant of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California decided that 24 months of Ramirez's sentence should be served consecutively, resulting in a total of 144 months in prison for Ramirez.
Based on what was gathered from the previous case, Ramirez was among the twelve individuals who faced charges related to money laundering, narcotics trafficking, and extortion. This was the outcome of a two-year investigation conducted by the FBI and DEA. The investigation successfully dismantled the organization responsible for laundering millions of dollars for the Sinaloa Cartel and even rescued two victims from an extortion scheme in February 2021. So far, the investigation has led to the confiscation of over $1.3 million in illegal assets.
As per his plea agreement, Ramirez played a crucial role in the day-to-day operations of the organization. He established a network of shell companies incorporated in Wyoming, which were utilized for laundering large sums of illicit cash. Ramirez directed and facilitated the organization's employees to travel across various cities in the United States to collect bulk cash belonging to narcotics traffickers. These cities included Chicago, Omaha, Boston, New York City, Baltimore, Charlotte, and Philadelphia.
The criminal network involved in narcotics trafficking had a well-established system for delivering large sums of cash. They would discreetly hand over up to $200,000 to their employees in hotel rooms and parking lots. To cover their tracks, the organization would then launder the illegal funds through shell companies and transfer them to bank accounts in Mexico.
In an effort to expose the connection between drug money and the criminals involved, the FBI conducted surveillance on a bulk cash delivery in November 2020. The delivery was made by Idsel Valenzuela and Sugey Caro Salazar in Chicago. This operation proved to be a breakthrough as it led to a search of Caro and Valenzuela's home and vehicle. To everyone's surprise, law enforcement discovered and seized a staggering amount of illegal substances, including 368 pounds of crystal methamphetamine and 10 kilograms of heroin. Additionally, they confiscated $97,390 in bulk cash.
As the investigation progressed, several of Ramirez's accomplices were sentenced to prison. Cristian Amaya Nava received a 60-month sentence, while Christian Cruz Polanco was sentenced to 30 months. Sugey Caro Salazar received a 48-month sentence, and Idsel Valenzuela, Cheliann Rivera Vazquez, and Kimberly Reyes were given probationary sentences. The legal proceedings are ongoing, with Hector Vizcaino Moreno, Ricardo Torres, and Luis Armando Avila scheduled to be sentenced in the coming months.
“The sentencing of Mr. Ramirez is a major step toward dismantling the Sinaloa Cartel,” said FBI San Diego Special Agent in Charge, Stacey Moy. “We remain committed to working collaboratively with our law enforcement partners to disrupt and dismantle organized crime activity not only in San Diego, but wherever our investigations may lead.”
It is worth noting that three of Ramirez's co-defendants, including the alleged former leader of the organization, Enrique Esparragoza Rosas, remain fugitives in Mexico. Esparragoza Rosas, who is believed to have been based in Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico, is still at large, adding to the complexity of the case.
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