Edward J. Schwartz federal office building in downtown San Diego. Photo via casd.uscourts.gov
Federal authorities on Thursday announced the indictment of a local brother and sister for allegedly laundering more than $42 million in proceeds from drug trafficking.
Jesus Vazquez Padilla, 50, of Tijuana, and Monica Vazquez, 48, of Chula Vista, are accused of using at least 22 California-based shell corporations and around 85 U.S. bank accounts to transfer drug money to Mexican bank accounts.
According to the indictment, the pair worked as corporate officers for San Diego-based OSVA Incorporated and Jeva International, Inc. In those roles, they allegedly deposited large amounts of cash into corporate bank accounts in 201.
They allegedly laundered $42.3 million with around 95% of that transferred to Mexico. The siblings allegedly kept the remainder as payment for their services.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said agents from the Internal Revenue Service led the investigation into the siblings. They looked into “hundreds of financial transactions” that allegedly occurred between 2015 and 2019.
– City News Service