A Venezuelan citizen has been charged in the Eastern District of Virginia with conspiracy to launder money. The U.S. Attorney’s Office alleges that Jorge Figueira, 59, ran a large-scale operation that moved approximately one billion dollars in illicit funds using various bank accounts, cryptocurrency exchanges, private wallets, and shell companies.
“This case involves the alleged laundering approximately a billion dollars – a scale of criminal conduct that poses a profound threat to financial systems and public safety,” said Lindsey Halligan, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Money laundering at this level enables transnational criminal organizations to operate, expand, and inflict real-world harm. Those who move illicit funds in the billions should expect to be identified, disrupted, and held fully accountable under federal law.”
According to Reid Davis, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division: “The FBI has identified approximately a billion dollars’ worth of cryptocurrency that was passed through crypto wallets utilized by Figueira and his laundering operation to individuals and businesses throughout the world. By enlisting subordinates and conducting scores of transfers, Figueira sought to conceal the nature of the funds, potentially facilitating criminal activity in numerous countries.”
Court documents indicate that Figueira allegedly used multiple steps to conceal transactions from authorities. This included converting money into cryptocurrency routed through digital wallets before exchanging it back into U.S. dollars via liquidity providers and then transferring those funds to bank accounts controlled by Figueira or other recipients.
The complaint states that more than a billion dollars moved through these financial channels. Most inbound transfers came from cryptocurrency trading platforms; outbound transfers were sent to various businesses and individuals both within the United States and internationally—including locations considered high risk such as Colombia, China, Panamá, and Mexico.
If found guilty, Figueira could face up to 20 years in prison. Sentencing would be determined by a federal judge after reviewing applicable guidelines.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine Rosenberg is leading the prosecution.
Further details about this case can be accessed on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia or by searching Case No. 1:25-mj-730 on PACER.
Authorities remind that a criminal complaint is only an accusation; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
