A federal indictment has been unsealed implicating three individuals in a sophisticated $24 million dollar gold smuggling and money laundering operation that spanned from the United States to Colombia. Beatriz Eugenia Hernandez, her son Carlos Mathias Gonzalez, and her brother Esteban Hernandez stand accused of sneaking gold into the country, hiding it in metal widgets, and then funnelling the proceeds back to South America, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida.
The indictment alleges that the co-conspirators received shipments which were supposed to contain standard metal objects, but half were instead found to secretly house gold cylinders, concealed within and painted over to evade detection. They would then extract the gold, sell it off, and wire the proceeds between U.S. bank accounts before finally sending the funds to their associates in Colombia. This arrangement allowed them to surreptitiously wire approximately $24.6 million to Colombian accounts from December 2018 through May 2022. The announcement was made by Hayden P. O'Byrne, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and acting Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations Miami Field Office.
The case, now in the spotlight, was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations. The prosecution of this high stakes financial drama now rests in the hands of Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller. It's important to note that these charges are merely allegations at this stage.
In terms of the legal proceedings, the case is being processed under the case number 25-cr-20236. Court documents and further information are publicly accessible through the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida and the PACER system. The public is reminded that an indictment contains only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
