A Hyattsville man is headed to federal prison and on the hook for more than $10 million after prosecutors say he helped clean dirty money ripped from schools, government programs and private companies. The hefty judgment combines restitution for victims with criminal forfeiture tied to what officials describe as a fast-moving scheme that bounced fraud proceeds through shell companies and bank accounts to bury their trail.
U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Maddox sentenced 33-year-old Victor Killen to five years and three months behind bars, followed by three years of supervised release, according to WUSA9. The outlet reports that the court entered a combined restitution and forfeiture judgment topping $10 million, including roughly $7 million in restitution and a $3 million forfeiture order, based on Killen’s admitted role in the laundering operation. Prosecutors say Killen acknowledged that at least $3 million moved through accounts he controlled during the conspiracy.
How prosecutors say the scheme worked
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, the conspiracy relied on shell limited-liability companies, bank accounts opened in those companies’ names and encrypted electronic accounts to coordinate and layer transfers that hid where the money really came from. Prosecutors say that from 2021 through February 2024, the group cycled millions in fraud proceeds through a series of transactions designed to make the funds hard to track or claw back. Victims listed by the office include an environmental trust, an urban redevelopment program, a medical center, a transportation and logistics firm, a school district and a college.
Co-conspirators and prosecutions
The U.S. Attorney’s Office initially charged 14 defendants in connection with the scheme, and authorities say 13 have pleaded guilty while one remains at large, according to WUSA9. Reporting notes that other defendants admitted roles ranging from managing the operation to committing aggravated identity theft, and several co-defendants have already been sentenced and ordered to pay multi-million-dollar restitution. Investigators say one alleged participant, Faizou Gnora, remains a fugitive.
Who investigated
Prosecutors credited a task force that pulled in Homeland Security Investigations, IRS Criminal Investigation and the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Inspector General, with local backup from police in Anne Arundel, Prince George’s and Montgomery counties, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Agents say they leaned on forensic accounting, bank records and encrypted-messaging analysis to trace how the money moved and who helped move it. Authorities point out that the very tactics used to layer and disguise the transfers also made it tougher for victims and law enforcement to trace and recover stolen cash.
Legal implications
Officials say the case is a textbook example of how federal prosecutors use restitution and forfeiture to both punish defendants and try to make victims whole, even though courts routinely acknowledge that tangled ownership structures and layered transfers can slow or limit recovery. Money-laundering convictions carry prison time and broad forfeiture authority under federal law, including statutes such as 18 U.S.C. § 1956. In practice, actually getting every possible dollar back to victims can mean years of follow-on civil litigation and asset-forfeiture work.
Prosecutors say Killen’s sentence and the financial penalties are meant to send a message to would-be money movers who target public programs and nonprofit entities, even as they caution that some victims may be waiting a long time for full reimbursement. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has directed affected organizations and individuals with questions to contact its victim-witness unit for more information.
