Minneapolis Man Sentenced To Ten Years For Conspiring To Distribute Marijuana And Money Laundering

MINNEAPOLIS— Yesterday in federal court, United States District Court Judge Donovan Frank sentenced a 35-year-old Minneapolis man to 120 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiring to distribute marijuana and money laundering. A United States grand jury indicted Irineo Serio Moreno on March 4, 2013, on the drug charge. On July 8, 2013, the United States Attorney filed an Information charging Moreno with the money laundering charge. On July 12, 2013, Moreno agreed to plead guilty to both charges.

In his plea agreement, Moreno admitted that from at least January 2009 through December 20, 2012, he conspired with Ryan Timothy Solon, Christopher David Schumacher, Shawn Andrew Withrow, Jeremy Allen Anderson, Corey William Johns, Arthur Eugene Johns, and Matthew Ryan Waste to distribute 1000 kilograms of marijuana from California to Minnesota. In addition, Moreno admitted that he owned land in Northern California where he operated a marijuana grow farm, hiring and paying others to tend to the marijuana plants. Some of the marijuana from that farm was distributed in Minnesota.

Moreno also admitted to laundering the proceeds from the sale of the marijuana by purchasing assets including a Polaris UTV (an off-road utility task vehicle) and a trailer for $17,442.

As part of his plea agreement, Moreno agreed to forfeit to the United States the land in California and a 1999 Chevrolet Tahoe.

This case was the result of an investigation by IRS- Criminal Investigation and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney LeeAnn Bell.