California Man Pleads Guilty to Role in Multi-Million Dollar Money Laundering Conspiracy

PROVIDENCE – A California man has pleaded guilty in federal court in Rhode Island for his role in a wide-ranging business email compromise and money laundering scheme that defrauded companies, individuals, and the Town of Bristol out of nearly $9 million dollars, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.

Alec Tahir Baker, 61, of Corona, CA, pleaded guilty on December 9, 2025, to conspiracy to commit money laundering.  Baker will be sentenced on February 24, 2026. The sentences imposed will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

According to court documents, Baker participated in a conspiracy that used phishing and spoofed vendor emails to gain access to victim computer networks and redirect legitimate wire transfers into bank accounts that he controlled. Baker opened dozens of bank accounts in his name and in the names of fraudulent companies.  He received more than $7.6 million of the fraudulent funds and rapidly withdrew, transferred, or layered the funds (including through cryptocurrency accounts) to disguise their origin.

Baker and his co-conspirators also gained access to the Town of Bristol’s computer network in January 2023, causing $310,500 in municipal funds to be wired into an account in Baker’s name, who then withdrew the funds or transferred them into other accounts.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Lee H. Vilker and Denise M. Barton.

The matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Bristol Police Department; Genesee County, New York Sheriff’s Office; Baltimore County, MD Police Department; Hartland, Wisconsin Police Department; and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas.