SETTINERI PLEADS GUILTY TO 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 today that Roberto Settineri, 42, of Miami Beach, pleaded guilty to a one count Superseding Information charging him with conspiracy to commit money laundering. Sentencing is scheduled for November 3, 2010, before U.S. District Court Judge James I. Cohn. Settineri faces a maximum sentence of five (5) years’ incarceration.
According to the Information and statements made during the plea hearing, the defendant 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.
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 is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia Stone and Criminal Division Trial Attorney Margaret Honrath of the Organized Crime and Racketeering Section.
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 http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
