Man Sentenced to Two Years in Federal Prison for Laundering Money from Ecstasy Sales
Las Vegas, Nev. – A man who admitted to laundering over $2,000 earned from the distribution of ecstasy pills in Las Vegas, has been sentenced to two years in prison, announced Daniel G. Bogden, United States Attorney for the District of Nevada.
Shawn Ignatious Nunes, 34, of Las Vegas, was sentenced on Friday, November 5, 2010, by Chief U.S. District Judge Roger L. Hunt, who also ordered Nunes to pay a $3,000 fine and forfeit $2,200, and to serve three years of supervised release following his release from prison. Nunes was charged in June 2009, and pleaded guilty on August 6, 2010, to one count of money laundering.
According to the plea memorandum, Nunes received $2,000 in exchange for distributing approximately500 ecstasy pills in September 2008. In addition, Nunes previously received $200, which he knew were profits from illegal drug dealing.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, describes ecstasy (MDMA) as a synthetic, psychoactive drug that is chemically similar to the stimulant methamphetamine and the hallucinogen mescaline.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kishan Nair. It was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and members of the Las Vegas Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation's drug supply.
