A Braintree man has copped to his role in an elaborate money laundering scheme, authorities say. Chengzou Liu, 36, entered a guilty plea for conspiracy to commit money laundering and intent to distribute marijuana, the U.S. Attorney's office confirmed. His sentencing is locked in for April 24, 2024, getting ready to face Lady Justice.
Caught in the act by feds, Liu was busted alongside seven others in July 2022, accused of laundering cash from drugs and hot gift cards. The laundering operation, with roots in a Boston Chinatown eatery and an electronics store out of Hanover, was big-time – a network allegedly orchestrated by cohorts Qiu Mei Zeng and Shi Rong Zhang, as per the charging documents. Liu was spotted on three different occasions handing off cash-stuffed bags, allegedly containing thousands in drug money, to be swiftly wired overseas.
"Liu was a large-scale marijuana trafficker who laundered his drug proceeds through China Gourmet," said the U.S. Attorney’s office. He played a game of financial hide-and-seek, handing over money to Zeng, who then made the funds disappear into various Chinese accounts on Liu's word.
If Liu's found guilty, he’ll have up to two decades behind bars to ponder his missteps, not to mention potentially coughing up to $500,000 in fines – or double the laundered amount, if it's heftier. The possession charge could stack another 20-year stint on top and a wallet-breaking $1 million fine. These hefty sentences get pieced together based on the tangled web of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the statutes playing their part in criminal court decision-making.
A slew of law enforcement came together to pull the curtain back on this operation, including the DEA, FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, and various Massachusetts police departments. Special thanks to the USPS Inspection Service, says the justice department, for their eagle eyes. This case is part of the OCDETF program, a coordinated crackdown on high-level crime bothering Uncle Sam – more dirt on these ops can be dug up at the justice department's OCDETF page.
It’s worth noting, the facts are still in the "allegations" bin until proven ironclad in court. Everyone else in this financial drama is still on the innocent side of the equation, assumedly, until guilt's proven without a flicker of doubt in the court of law.
