Floridian Sentenced for Role in Money Laundering Operation

PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Ocala, Florida, has been sentenced to time served, to be followed by three years of supervised release, on his conviction for money laundering conspiracy, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.

Senior United States District Judge Nora Barry Fischer imposed the sentence on Charles Wilson Stout, 66, who had served approximately six months of imprisonment for his crime.

According to information presented to the Court, Stout engaged in a money laundering conspiracy from in and around April 2022 until in and around June 2022. The Court was advised that a Washington, D.C.-based university was the victim of a business email compromise that resulted in the fraudulent transfer of more than $603,000 from a bank account located in the Western District of Pennsylvania into a separate bank account owned by Stout.

To obfuscate the source of the fraudulent funds, Stout and his co-defendant, David Kakra Mensah, created a shell company and transferred portions of the fraudulently obtained proceeds into a cryptocurrency account that Mensah owned. In addition to participating in the business e-mail compromise, Mensah was also involved in a romance fraud scheme in which he obtained and moved money through individual victims living in Pennsylvania, Oregon, and elsewhere. Mensah previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 24 months of imprisonment.

Assistant United States Attorneys Mark V. Gurzo and Kelly M. Locher prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

Acting United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Stout.