Settineri Sentenced on Money Laundering Charge

Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; Lanny A. Breuer, Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice; and John V. Gilles, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Miami Field Office, announced that defendant Roberto Settineri, 42, of Miami Beach, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge James I. Cohn. Settineri was sentenced to 48 months in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release. Settineri had previously pled guilty to a one count superseding information charging him with conspiracy to commit money laundering.

According to the information and statements made during the plea hearing, Settineri admitted to conspiring with others to launder $10 million of funds and conceal assets represented to be the proceeds of a large-scale fraudulent scheme. The initial investigation was part of a joint U.S. and Italian law enforcement action.

U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer stated, “This money laundering prosecution was possible thanks to the outstanding cooperation between federal, state, and international law enforcement.”

John V. Gillies, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Miami Office, added, “With the cooperation of our domestic and international partners, the fight against crime has no boundaries.”

Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Broward Sheriff’s Office, the Miami-Dade Police Department, the Italian Ministries of the Interior and Justice, and the Italian National Police as well as the assistance provided by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs and the FBI legal attaché office in Rome provided assistance in this case. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia Stone and Criminal Division Trial Attorney Margaret Honrath of the Organized Crime and Racketeering Section. Assistance was also provided by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison Lehr.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.