Federal charges
Dallas money laundering lawyer.
Money laundering charges usually ride along with a drug or fraud case, but they can carry more prison time than the crime they follow. The key question is almost always what you knew about where the money came from. Accounts, cars and homes are often seized early, and the deadlines to fight for them are short. We trace the money, protect your property claims, and deal with the prosecutors for you.
Right now
If agents seized money or contacted you.
- 01
Do not explain the money to agents
Even an honest explanation given without records can be called a lie later. Tell them your lawyer will respond.
- 02
Keep every record as it is
Bank statements, sales records, invoices, tax returns, receipts for cash and titles. Do not move money between accounts or change how the business handles cash.
- 03
Watch the mail for a forfeiture notice
If cash, an account or a vehicle was seized, a notice will set a deadline to file a claim. Missing it can mean losing the property without a judge ever hearing your side.
- 04
Do not talk to business partners about it
Conversations with partners, employees or the bank can become evidence, and coordinating stories can be charged as obstruction.
- 05
Call us for a free consultation
Bring the seizure receipt, any notice letters and the agent's card. What you tell us is confidential.
Key deadlines and numbers
- Money laundering
- Up to 20 years and a fine of $500,000 or twice the amountSource: 18 U.S.C. 1956
- Spending more than $10,000 of criminal proceeds
- Up to 10 yearsSource: 18 U.S.C. 1957
- Cash reports by banks
- Required for cash transactions over $10,000Source: 31 C.F.R. 1010.311
- Structuring deposits to avoid that report
- Up to 5 years, even if the money is legalSource: 31 U.S.C. 5324
- Notice after a civil seizure
- Generally within 60 days. Your claim deadline is in the notice.Source: 18 U.S.C. 983
Texas law
How federal money laundering law works.
Money laundering is a financial transaction with money that came from certain crimes, done to keep the crime going, to hide the money's source or owner, or to avoid a reporting rule. Related laws punish spending large amounts of criminal proceeds, breaking up cash deposits, and moving money without a license.
| Charge | Maximum prison term | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Money laundering (18 U.S.C. 1956) | 20 years | Fine up to $500,000 or twice the amount involved. Conspiracy carries the same penalty. |
| Transactions over $10,000 in criminal proceeds (18 U.S.C. 1957) | 10 years | No intent to hide is required, only knowledge the money was criminally derived. |
| Structuring (31 U.S.C. 5324) | 5 years, 10 if aggravated | Aggravated means tied to another federal crime or more than $100,000 in 12 months. |
| Unlicensed money transmitting business (18 U.S.C. 1960) | 5 years | Applies to sending money for others without required registration or license. |
| Bulk cash smuggling (31 U.S.C. 5332) | 5 years | Hiding more than $10,000 to carry it across the border without reporting it. |
What you knew is the case
The government must prove you knew the money came from some kind of crime. Prosecutors often argue deliberate ignorance: that you purposely avoided learning the truth. Your records, how the business normally works and what you were told all answer that argument.
Source: 18 U.S.C. 1956(a)Hiding money is not the same as moving it
In Cuellar (2008), the Supreme Court held that carrying cash in a hidden compartment is not laundering unless the purpose of the trip was to conceal the money's nature, source, ownership or control. Details about why money moved matter.
Source: Cuellar v. United States (2008)Structuring needs no dirty money
Breaking up cash deposits to keep each one under $10,000 is a crime if the purpose is to avoid the bank's report, even when the money came from an honest business. The real question is purpose, and many owners simply did not understand the rule.
Source: 31 U.S.C. 5324Forfeiture runs on its own clock
The government can try to keep seized property through a civil case, a criminal case or both. Owners who did not know about the crime can raise an innocent owner defense, but only if a claim is filed on time.
Source: 18 U.S.C. 983(d)How we work
How we defend a money laundering case.
These cases are won and lost in the paperwork. Mr. Estrada reads the financial evidence and sets the strategy, and our associates and staff work through the records with him.
01
Trace the money ourselves
Bank records, point-of-sale reports, invoices and tax returns can show a lawful source. When the numbers are complex, we work with a forensic accountant.
02
Answer the knowledge question
What the client was told, how similar businesses handle cash, and what the messages really say. Being near someone else's crime is not the same as knowing about it.
03
File the property claims on time
We file claims for seized cash, accounts and vehicles, and raise innocent owner defenses for family members whose property was swept up.
04
Test each count
Each laundering count is a separate transaction that must meet every element. Counts that just repeat the underlying crime, or that lack proof of purpose, can be challenged.
05
Negotiate with the numbers in hand
Laundering counts raise the guideline range. Dropping them, or narrowing the amount, can change the sentence a great deal, and a solid tracing analysis is what moves prosecutors.
Who handles it
The lawyer on the sign is the lawyer on your case.
Mr. Estrada has practiced in Texas since 2003, in state court and in the Northern, Eastern and Western federal districts of Texas. He reads the file and sets the strategy, with associates and staff who work the case alongside him. Everything is explained to you in English or Spanish.
What clients say
“He made sure he addressed all of our questions and put us at ease. He never made it seem like we were an inconvenience.”What else a laundering case touches.
- Your business and your bank
- Banks often close accounts once they learn of an investigation, and licensed money businesses can face state and federal regulatory action. We help you plan how to keep operating lawfully.
- Immigration
- Laundering more than $10,000 is an aggravated felony under immigration law. For a non-citizen, the amount and the statute in a plea can decide whether removal follows.
- The family home and car
- Property in a spouse's or parent's name can still be targeted. Family members with their own money in it should talk to us about a claim.
- Taxes
- A laundering case can lead to IRS questions about unreported income. The criminal case and the tax issues should be handled together.
Dallas and Odessa
Money cases in North and West Texas.
Dallas-area laundering and structuring cases are prosecuted in the Northern District of Texas at the Earle Cabell Federal Building, often alongside drug or fraud charges investigated by the IRS, HSI, FBI or DEA. Collin and Denton County cases go to the Eastern District in Sherman or Plano. In the Permian Basin, cash seizures from traffic stops on I-20 and laundering tied to drug cases go to the Western District's Midland-Odessa Division in Midland. We meet clients in Oak Cliff and in Odessa.
FAQ
Questions people ask.
What counts as money laundering?
Using money from certain crimes in a financial transaction to keep the crime going, to hide where the money came from, or to avoid a reporting rule. Spending more than $10,000 of criminal proceeds can be a separate crime even without hiding anything.
I deposited cash under $10,000 to avoid paperwork. Is that a crime?
It can be, if the purpose was to keep the bank from filing its report, even if the money was legal. The facts about why deposits were made the way they were matter a great deal. Do not explain it to agents before talking to a lawyer.
They seized my bank account. Can I get the money back?
Possibly, but only through the right claim filed by the deadline in the notice. Owners who can show a lawful source or that they knew nothing of a crime have defenses.
I did not know the money was dirty. Is that a defense?
Yes, knowledge is an element the government must prove. Expect prosecutors to argue you deliberately avoided the truth, so the defense needs records and context, not just a denial.
Is money laundering always charged with another crime?
Usually it follows a drug, fraud or smuggling case, because the money has to come from a listed crime. Sometimes the laundering count is the only charge against a person who handled money for others.
How much does it cost to hire you?
The consultation is free. We discuss the fee and payment options up front, including any forfeiture claims that need to be filed right away.
Related situations
- Federal investigations and target letters
- Federal drug conspiracy
- Wire, bank and PPP fraud
- Federal sentencing and plea deals
- Other federal cases
- All: Federal Criminal Defense
Updated October 2026
This page is general information about Texas law, not legal advice for your situation. Reading it does not create an attorney client relationship. Every case is different, and past results do not guarantee a future outcome.
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Law Office of Olegario Estrada, P.C.
We explain everything.We answer 24/7.Se habla español.
Free consultation by phone, video, or in person. Offices in Dallas and Odessa.