Money Laundering Attorney in Jacksonville

Financial Crime Defense for State & Federal Investigations

A money laundering investigation can place bank accounts, business transactions, property, communications, and personal relationships under scrutiny. You may learn about an investigation through contact from law enforcement, a subpoena, a search or seizure, or formal criminal charges.

At Owenby Law, P.A., we represent people facing serious white-collar criminal allegations in Jacksonville and throughout Northeast Florida. Our attorneys evaluate the financial activity at issue, what authorities claim about the source of the funds, and what the evidence shows about the accused person's knowledge and intent.

Statements and document productions made early in an investigation can affect how authorities interpret later evidence. Preserve relevant notices, account records, transaction documents, and communications, and seek case-specific legal advice before providing a substantive interview.

Florida Money Laundering Charges & Transaction Thresholds

Florida Statute §896.101, the Florida Money Laundering Act, prohibits several forms of financial conduct involving proceeds of specified unlawful activity.

Depending on the subsection charged, prosecutors may allege that a person knowingly conducted or attempted a financial transaction involving unlawful proceeds:

• With intent to promote specified unlawful activity
• Knowing the transaction was designed to conceal or disguise the nature, location, source, ownership, or control of unlawful proceeds
• Knowing the transaction was designed to avoid certain reporting or registration requirements
• Through transportation of funds or monetary instruments under circumstances prohibited by the statute

Florida also permits charges involving property represented by law enforcement as unlawful proceeds when the required statutory intent is alleged.

How Transaction Value Can Affect the Charge

For violations of §896.101, felony classification generally depends on the total value of qualifying financial transactions during a 12-month period:

• More than $300 but less than $20,000: Third-degree felony
• At least $20,000 but less than $100,000: Second-degree felony
• At least $100,000: First-degree felony

Florida law also authorizes additional fines and civil penalties in qualifying cases.

Transaction value alone does not prove money laundering. The State must still establish the elements required by the subsection charged.

Knowledge & Intent Can Be Central Issues

Financial activity is not automatically criminal simply because money moved between accounts, businesses, people, or property.

A defense review may examine what the accused knew, what the transaction was intended to accomplish, and whether the government's interpretation is supported by the surrounding evidence.

Florida's statute contains detailed definitions of knowledge and unlawful proceeds. It also includes a specific rule addressing certain transactions or transportation involving more than $10,000 in U.S. currency or its foreign equivalent.

For that reason, determining the required mental state is more complicated than simply asking whether a transaction occurred.

Relevant questions may include:

• Where did the funds originate?
• What did the accused know about their source?
• Who designed or directed the transaction?
• What legitimate business purpose may explain the activity?
• Did the records actually support concealment or promotion of unlawful activity?
• Were reporting requirements involved?
• What communications existed before and after the transaction?

The correct analysis depends on the exact statutory subsection and evidence.

How We Examine Financial Evidence

Money laundering investigations can involve extensive financial and digital records.

Our review may include:

• Bank and investment-account statements
• Business and accounting records
• Contracts and invoices
• Receipts and tax documents
• Wire transfers and payment records
• Real estate or vehicle transactions
• Electronic communications
• Corporate ownership records
• Financial tracing prepared by investigators
• Witness and cooperating-source statements
• Search warrants, subpoenas, and seizure records

We evaluate the records in context rather than assuming that the movement of money establishes illegal intent.

A financial reconstruction can also depend on assumptions about where funds originated, who controlled an account, and why particular transactions occurred. Those assumptions should be compared against the underlying records.