DOJ Charges Four Individuals for Laundering Millions in Pig Butchering Scheme
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that four individuals were charged with laundering over $2 million in proceeds from a scheme involving the sale of pig heads.
The DOJ alleged that from July 2018 through June 2020, three of the four charged individuals created a phony import-export company for the purpose of laundering money from the sale of pig heads to China. According to the criminal complaint, the defendants would buy pig heads from Chinese companies, sell them to an unnamed individual in the United States, and then used the money to buy and distribute the pig heads in the US.
The charged individuals are from California and Nebraska, and they face charges of bank fraud, money laundering, operating an unlicensed money transmitting business, and making a false statement to a financial institution. If convicted, they face up to 30 years in prison and hefty fines.
The DOJ has not identified the unnamed individual in the US or where the money was ultimately sent. However, officials did state that the investigation is still ongoing and that additional charges may be filed in the future.