Thursday, May 20, 2010

Mitch Sivina Pleads Guilty to the Unlawful Sale and Transportation of Stolen Cigarettes and Money Laundering

May 20, 2010 - OXFORD, Miss. — William C. Martin, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Mississippi, Daniel McMullen, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Phillip M. Durham, Special Agent in Charge of the New Orleans Field Division, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), announce that:

Mitchell Sivina, 38, of Doral, Florida, entered a guilty plea today before United States Senior District Neal B. Biggers, Jr., in Oxford, Mississippi. Sivina waived indictment and pled guilty to a two-count Information charging him with interstate transportation of stolen cigarettes and money laundering.

Acting United States Attorney William C. Martin stated: “Mitch Sivina has pled guilty to the unlawful sale and transportation of hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of stolen cigarettes and money laundering. This investigation and prosecution is the product of an outstanding cooperative law enforcement effort by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office and the Tupelo Police Department. They should be commended for their efforts in curbing such illegal activity.”

Sivina was released on a $15,000 secured bond pending sentencing, which will take place following the completion of a presentence investigation. At sentencing, he faces a maximum possible penalty of not more than 10 years in prison on count one and not more than 20 years in prison on count two; not more than $250,000 fine on count one and not more than $500,000 or twice the laundered amount on count two, whichever is greater; and not more than three years supervised release on each count.

The investigation of these cases is a joint effort by the FBI, ATF, Tupelo Police Department and the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office. The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Chad Lamar, Clay Joyner and Clyde McGee

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