DHS employee indicted for money laundering

HOUSTON – A deportation officer has been taken into custody on allegations he transported nearly $700,000 in what he believed to be drug proceeds, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Christopher Washington Toral, 48, Spring, is expected to make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew Edison at 2 p.m. 

A federal grand jury returned the indictment April 9, which was unsealed upon Toral’s arrest.

Toral is an employee of Department of Homeland Security (DHS), working as a deportation officer for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

On three occasions in 2023, Toral allegedly transported a total of approximately $700,000 in exchange for cash payments. In each instance, he believed the monies were proceeds from drug transactions, according to the indictment.

Toral transported $200,000 between Feb. 9 and 28, 2023, from Dallas to Houston, according to the charges. In early March 2023, he allegedly travelled from Newark, New Jersey, to Houston with $300,000 in U.S. currency.

If convicted, Toral faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $1 million maximum fine. 

FBI and DHS – Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carolyn Ferko is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.