The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986, Pub.L. No. 99-570, created the
offense of
"money laundering," which is chargeable as a violation of 18 U.S.C.
§§
1956 or 1957. See USAM 9-105.000et.seq for an in depth discussion of money laundering
offenses.
Violations of the mail or wire fraud statutes constitute "specified unlawful
activity" that may form the cornerstone of a money laundering charge.
See
§§ 1956(c)(7)(A), 1957(f)(3), and 1961(1)(B) ("Specified unlawful
activity" is defined as any act or activity constituting an offense listed
in
section 1961(1), which includes both mail and wire fraud statutes.).
SeeUnited States v. Hare, 49 F.3d 447, 451-52 (8th Cir. 1995), cert.
denied, 116 S.Ct. 211 (1995); United States v. Massey, 48 F.3d
1560,
1565-67 (10th Cir.), cert. denied, 115 S.Ct. 2628 (1995); United
States
v. Smith, 44 F.3d 1259, 1264-65 (4th Cir.), cert. d
ied, 115 S.Ct. 1970 (1995).
A conviction for money laundering may result in a much more severe
sentence than a conviction based solely upon a mail or wire fraud. Consult
the
appropriate version of the United States Sentencing Guidelines Manual for
the
applicable offense levels. The government may also seek criminal or civil
forfeiture under 18 U.S.C. §§ 981 and 982.