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Criminal Law

Notre Dame Law School

Money laundering

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Does "Proceeds" Really Mean "Net Profits"? The Supreme Court's Efforts To Diminish The Utility Of The Federal Money Laundering Statute, Jimmy Gurule Jan 2009

Does "Proceeds" Really Mean "Net Profits"? The Supreme Court's Efforts To Diminish The Utility Of The Federal Money Laundering Statute, Jimmy Gurule

Journal Articles

The Supreme Court’s decision in United States v. Santos is severely hampers the fight against drug traffickers, terrorists, mobsters and white collar criminals. It restricts the scope of the money laundering statute, defining the term “proceeds” in it as net profits, not gross receipts from unlawful activity. This imposes an unreasonable and unwarranted burden on prosecutors to prove net criminal profits, money acquired beyond the defendant’s overhead expenses from unlawful activities. The court’s holding also restricts other provisions of the money laundering statute, such as the concealment theory of money laundering, and it creates confusion over whether the Court’s restrictive …


The Money Laundering Control Act Of 1986: Creating A New Federal Offense Or Merely Affording Federal Prosecutors An Alternative Means Of Punishing Specified Unlawful Activity?, Jimmy Gurule Jan 1995

The Money Laundering Control Act Of 1986: Creating A New Federal Offense Or Merely Affording Federal Prosecutors An Alternative Means Of Punishing Specified Unlawful Activity?, Jimmy Gurule

Journal Articles

The purpose of the Money Laundering Control Act of 1986 was to make the hiding and reinvestment of illegal profit made from a criminal enterprise into a new federal offense. The act targets conduct that occurs after the underlying crime. It is not intended to be an alternative means of punishing the crime itself. Courts must closely adhere to this legislative intent if they seek to properly and consistently apply the law. They must be aware of several key aspects of the law: 1) The financial transaction requirement under section 1956(c)(3) of the act includes the transportation of proceeds from …