Calmes Denied New Trial

BATON ROUGE, LA – United States Attorney Donald J. Cazayoux, Jr. announced that United States District Judge Lance Africk today denied a new trial request of KEVIN PAUL CALMES, 40, of Denham Springs, Louisiana. CALMES had filed a request for new trial claiming the discovery of new evidence. Judge Africk, in a 6 page opinion, rejected CALMES’ request for a new trial. Judge Africk also ordered KEVIN CALMES to report to jail on Tuesday, February 6, 2013 to begin service of his 30 month term of imprisonment in the custody of the United States Bureau of Prisons.

KEVIN CALMES and CALMES MOTORSPORTS were sentenced for their convictions on August 1, 2012 by a Baton Rouge jury. KEVIN PAUL CALMES was convicted of money laundering, one count of failure to file required reports of cash transactions, and three counts of structuring transactions in order to evade cash reporting requirements. CALMES MOTORSPORTS was convicted of one count of failure to file required reports of cash transactions and three counts of structuring transactions in order to evade cash reporting requirements.

KEVIN PAUL CALMES was sentenced to a 30 month term of imprisonment, two years of supervised release, and forfeiture of all property involved in, or used to facilitate, the money laundering and structuring transactions, including forfeiture of $24,927.99 associated with the sale of two particular motorcycles.

CALMES MOTORSPORTS was a Denham Springs dealership which marketed and sold motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles to the public. KEVIN PAUL CALMES was the sales manager of CALMES MOTORSPORTS, L.L.C. In his role at the dealership, KEVIN PAUL CALMES negotiated and knowingly approved of sales with known drug traffickers, and took various actions to conceal their spending of large amounts of cash generated from narcotics trafficking.

At trial, the United States presented evidence that CALMES MOTORSPORTS, L.L.C. and KEVIN PAUL CALMES conspired with at least seven drug traffickers to launder proceeds of narcotics trafficking and to avoid filing reports of their use of cash greater than $10,000. The laundering of drug traffickers’ cash proceeds occurred between January 2000 and April 2009.

CALMES MOTORSPORTS, L.L.C. was sentenced to pay a fine of $500,000, placed on probation for three years, and ordered to forfeit property involved in, or used to facilitate, the money laundering and structuring transactions. As a condition of probation, the company was also sentenced to certain conditions which will monitor their finances and business operation.

The convictions and sentences are the result of a lengthy investigation by agents of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Rene Salomon and Shubhra Shivpuri.