Columbia County Man Sentenced To 37 Months In Prison For Money Laundering Conspiracy
Laundered illegal proceeds from marijuana distribution
ALBANY, N.Y. - Michael Elcox, 43, of Ghent, New York, was sentenced to 37 months in prison by United States District Judge Thomas J. McAvoy, announced United States Attorney Richard S. Hartunian, James J. Hunt, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement (DEA), New York Division, and Shantelle P. Kitchen, Special Agent in Charge IRS Criminal Investigations, New York Field Office. As part of the sentence, Judge McAvoy also imposed a $7,500 fine and three-year term of supervised release to follow Elcox’s prison term.
Elcox pleaded guilty in March 2015 for his role in a conspiracy to launder the proceeds of an illegal marijuana distribution network. The conspiracy involved routing illegal proceeds through various bank accounts and moving cash from New York to Florida. Federal agents seized more than $300,000 in cash, representing proceeds of Elcox’s illegal marijuana distribution, from locations in New York and Florida.
The case was investigated by special agents of the DEA in the Albany Resident Office and Gainesville Resident Office, and Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations, New York Field Office, as well as the Columbia County Sherriff’s Department, as part of the DEA’s High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Wayne A. Myers.
