A Florida Attorney and Lobbyist Sentenced to Prison for Agreeing to Launder Proceeds of Illegal Activity
An attorney and lobbyist from Hollywood, Florida was sentenced to a year in federal prison for agreeing to launder what he believed to be the cash proceeds of illegal activity.
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, made the announcement.
Alan Koslow, 62, a Hollywood, Florida attorney and lobbyist, and Susan Mohr, 57, of Delray Beach, Florida both previously pled guilty to conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371, by agreeing to launder what they believed to be the cash proceeds of illegal activity. U.S. District Judge William P. Dimitrouleas sentenced Koslow to one year and a day in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Koslow was also ordered to pay a $7,500 fine and $8,500 in restitution. Mohr is scheduled to be sentenced on December 8, 2016 in Fort Lauderdale, before U.S. District Judge Dimitrouleas.
According to the court record, including statement of facts provided by Koslow and co-conspirator Mohr in support of their guilty pleas, beginning in November 2012, Alan Koslow met with two undercover agents from the FBI. During the course of several meetings that followed, the undercover agents explained to Koslow, and later to Mohr, their need to launder cash being generated from an illegal gambling business and from the unlawful sale of narcotics and counterfeit Viagra. Koslow and Mohr agreed to accept the cash and then provide checks to the agents, for the amount of the cash minus a five percent fee, drawn on the business bank account of “Mohr2GoGifts,” a business owned by Mohr and located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Pursuant to this agreement, on several occasions Koslow accepted cash from the undercover agents who thereafter received cashiers’ checks and business checks from Mohr equal to the amount of the cash minus the five percent fee.
The law firm that employed Koslow was not involved with the criminal activity.
Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the FBI. The case was prosecuted by Senior Litigation Counsel Neil Karadbil.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.