Pensacola Resident Pleads Guilty in Multi-State Money Laundering Conspiracy

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Kenneth Grandison, 42, of Pensacola, pled guilty late yesterday to conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to utilize a telephone facility to further a drug trafficking offense.  The guilty plea was announced by Christopher P. Canova, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

During his guilty plea, Grandison admitted that, between January 2012 and January 2016, he received illegal drugs from California, including marijuana and codeine, for further distribution in Florida.  An investigation identified dozens of Bank of America and Wells Fargo accounts that Grandison used to launder the drug trafficking proceeds.  In total, the Bank of America accounts received more than 200 cash deposits, and the Wells Fargo accounts received more than 600 cash deposits.  This investigation involved the laundering of between $1.5 and $3.5 million.

The sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 24, 2016, at 12:30 p.m. at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola.

Grandison faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering and a maximum of four years in prison for conspiracy to utilize a telephone facility to further a drug trafficking offense.

This case resulted from an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the Pensacola Police Department, and the Gulf Breeze Police Department.  Assistant United States Attorney David L. Goldberg is prosecuting the case.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.  The office strives to protect and serve the citizens of the Northern District of Florida through the ethical, vigorous, and impartial enforcement of the laws of the United States, to defend the national security, to improve the safety and quality of life in our communities through the protection of civil rights, and to protect the public funds and financial assets of the United States.  To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website.  For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

For more information, contact:
Amy Alexander, Public Information Officer
(850) 216-3854, amy.alexander@usdoj.gov