Rochester Man Pleads Guilty in Money Laundering Conspiracy

ROCHESTER, NY—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Brian Campbell, 74, of Rochester, New York, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci to conspiring to engage in money laundering activities. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a fine of $500,000, or both.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Field, who is handling the case, stated that the defendant worked for Kenneth Griffin, a co-defendant who was convicted in May 2013, at an employment staffing business that was used to commit fraud. The fraud involved creating false invoices and other supporting documents that the defendant then sold to a series of financing companies on a weekly basis for immediate cash. When a financing company realized that it had been sold uncollectible invoices and stopped dealing with Griffin’s business, the defendant would change business names and continue the scheme with another financing company.

Griffin and others involved in the conspiracy sought to conceal their ill-gotten gains, which totaled approximately $567,000, by laundering the proceeds of the fraud using anonymous debit cards. These cards were provided to lower-level employees, who were directed to go to ATMs in the Rochester area to withdraw cash and return with the money, which was shared among the co-conspirators.

The plea is the culmination of an investigation on the part of special agents of the Internal Revenue Service, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Toni M. Weirauch, and special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Brian P. Boetig.

Sentencing is scheduled for January 16, 2014, at 3:00 p.m., before Judge Geraci.