St. Paul Attorney Convicted Of Money Laundering Drug Proceeds Through His Law Firm

MINNEAPOLIS — Today in federal court, a jury returned guilty verdicts on all three counts of an indictment charging Robert David Boedigheimer, 51, of Stillwater, with one count of Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering, one count of Money Laundering, and one count of making a False Statement to an IRS Agent. Boedigheimer, a St. Paul attorney, was indicted on December 10, 2013.

Boedigheimer conspired with Brandon Lusk, his brother-in-law, a marijuana dealer based in southem Minnesota to launder the proceeds from the sales of marijuana. Lusk pleaded guilty in October 2011 to one count of conspiracy and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Lusk admittedly formed a company called Rochester Reliable Rentals, which acquired nine Rochester properties. Lusk knowingly financed improvements and renovations to those properties with proceeds of the marijuana conspiracy through the assistance of Boedigheimer. Brandon Lusk, along with Richard Kay of Rochester and others conspired to distribute more than 1000 grams of marijuana. Kay was sentenced to 200 months in prison and Lusk is currently awaiting sentencing.

Prosecutors are very pleased with the verdict. Assistant United States Attorney Steven L. Schleicher stated, “This case needed to be prosecuted because as a practicing lawyer, the defendant abused the trust that society places on the practice of law by laundering drug money through his law firm and obstructing a federal investigation.”

Boedigheimer faces a potential maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on the conspiracy count, 10 years on the money laundering count, and five years on the false statements count. All sentences will be determined by a federal district court judge.

This case is the result of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service- Criminal Investigation Division, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Southeast Minnesota Narcotics and Gang Task Force (SEMNGTF), and the Wabasha County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven L. Schleicher and Julie E. Allyn.