Date: November 1, 2023 Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov CINCINNATI — A federal grand jury indicted a Cincinnati man today on charges related to trafficking fentanyl and laundering the proceeds. Nathaniel Williams is charged with possessing with the intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and money laundering. According to the indictment, on Oct. 18, Williams possessed bulk amounts of fentanyl. In August 2023, Williams allegedly provided cash from his narcotics sales to an individual who then wired $15,120 of the funds into Williams's bank account via a wire transfer. Williams withdrew $10,000 of the funds in cash a few days later. Agents discovered more than $44,000 in cash at Williams's residence while executing a search warrant. Possessing with the intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl is punishable by at least 10 years and up to life in prison. Money laundering carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison. Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Bryant Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (CI), Cincinnati Field Office; and Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy S. Mangan is representing the United States in this case. This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, and gangs that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. An indictment merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law. CI is the criminal investigative arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money-laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. CI special agents are the only federal law enforcement agents with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code, obtaining a more than a 90 percent federal conviction rate. The agency has 20 field offices located across the U.S. and 12 attaché posts abroad.
