Florida Man Sentenced To 5 Years Imprisonment For Structuring More Than $2.5 Million In Proceeds Of Drug Trafficking
FRESNO, Calif. - Chad Allen Riffle, 22, resident of Citrus Springs, Florida, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Lawrence J. O'Neill to five years in prison for structuring cash transactions.
According to court documents, Riffle and seven co-defendants opened and maintained bank accounts for the purpose of funneling cash proceeds of drug trafficking from Florida and other states back to California. Riffle made more than $2.5 million in cash deposits in amounts designed to avoid triggering financial institution reporting requirements.
This case is being brought as part of Operation Footprint, a nationwide law enforcement initiative led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices, the Internal Revenue Service- Criminal Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the United States Postal Inspection Service. Operation Footprint targets large drug trafficking organizations by identifying the transfer of drug proceeds through financial institutions, bulk cash smuggling and other forms of money transfers. Operation Footprint is focused on bringing criminal charges based on Bank Secrecy Act violations in addition to violations of the Controlled Substances Act and the Money Laundering Control Act.
This case is also the product of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task (OCDETF), a focused multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force investigating and prosecuting the most significant drug trafficking organizations throughout the United States by leveraging the combined expertise of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Grant B. Rabenn, Patrick R. Delahunty, and Jeffrey Spivak are prosecuting the case.
