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Press Release

Car Salesman Sentenced on Drug and Money Laundering Charges

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Alabama

United States Attorney Richard W. Moore of the Southern District of Alabama announced that Richard Pham, 42, of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, was sentenced last week in federal court on charges involving his illegal attempt to possess with intent to distribute two kilograms of cocaine and his participation in a money laundering scheme involving his car business.  Court documents reflect that Pham was laundering money represented to be drug proceeds in new car purchases in Mobile, using undercover Homeland Security agents as nominees for the transactions.  Pham’s business, Pham & Associates, would provide cash for the new car purchases, which were conducted in Mobile by undercover agents in their undercover names.  Pham would then re-title the vehicles to himself, his business, or another entity, all in connection with a plan to sell the vehicles overseas as “used cars.”  As a result of the undercover contacts with the federal agents, Pham introduced them to a co-conspirator in the car business, Nghia Le, who was also in the business of growing and distributing marijuana.  During the investigation, Pham arranged to purchase two kilograms of cocaine through the undercover agents.  He also made arrangements for others to distribute the drugs in South Carolina.  Pham pled guilty to both charges in March of 2017.

United States District Court Judge William H. Steele sentenced Pham to 48 months of imprisonment, to be followed by a four-year term of supervised release.  The judge ordered that sentences on the two charges be served concurrently.  Pham will undergo treatment for drug abuse while in prison and as a condition of his supervised release.  No fine was imposed, but the judge ordered that Pham pay $200 in special mandatory assessments.  The judge also ordered the forfeiture of property used to facilitate the illegal activities for which Pham was convicted. 

The case was investigated by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, the Department of Homeland Security Investigations, the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, and the Myrtle Beach Police Department.  It was prosecuted in the United States Attorney’s Office by Assistant United States Attorney Gloria Bedwell.

Updated October 18, 2017