Bronx Man Admits Identity Fraud and Laundering over $6.5 Million in Illegal Drug Proceeds

 NEWARK, N.J. – A Bronx, New York, man today admitted his role in a large international money laundering conspiracy and using a stolen identity in furtherance of the scheme, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael Honig announced.

Orlando Delgado, 31, pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Katharine S. Hayden to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and one count of identity fraud. 

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

From August 2018 through December 2019, Delgado laundered over $6.5 million in cash drug proceeds on behalf of a large-scale money laundering organization with close ties to drug trafficking organizations in the Dominican Republic and elsewhere. Delgado accepted large amounts of cash drug proceeds and laundered it by purchasing over 390 cashier’s checks at local bank branches in New Jersey, New York, and Florida. The checks were made payable to individuals and companies specified by the leaders of the money laundering organization. By converting the drug proceeds to cashier’s checks, Delgado tried to hide the source of the illegal cash and avoid scrutiny by law enforcement and banks. 

In August 2019, Delgado obtained a fraudulent identification card in someone else’s name and used it to open multiple bank accounts, which he then used to purchase over $1.5 million in cashier’s checks with cash drug proceeds. 

The charge of money laundering conspiracy carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 or twice the amount involved in the offense, whichever is greater. The charge of identify fraud carries a maximum prison sentence of five years and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 8, 2022.

Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents and task force officers of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, New Jersey Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Susan A. Gibson, and the New York Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Raymond Donovan; special agents and task force officers of IRS - Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael Montanez; the Morristown, New Jersey, police department, under the direction of Acting Police Chief Darnell Richardson; and the Direccion Nacional de Control de Drogas (the Dominican Republic National Drug Directorate, “DNCD”) with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan M. Peck of the Criminal Division in Newark.