Date: May 20, 2022 Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov Newark, NJ — A citizen of the Dominican Republic who was extradited to the United States on money laundering charges made his initial appearance in New Jersey federal court, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced. Jonathan Humeau-Hernandez is charged by indictment with five counts of money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering for his role in laundering millions in illegal cash drug proceeds from the United States to the Dominican Republic. Humeau-Hernandez was arrested in the Dominican Republic at the request of the United States on Feb. 20, 2022, and extradited to the United States. He had his initial appearance by videoconference this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy L. Waldor and was detained. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: Humeau-Hernandez was part of a criminal conspiracy that arranged to have large sums of cash drug proceeds in the United States laundered through the U.S. banking system and transferred to the Dominican Republic and elsewhere. From November 2018 through February 2020, Humeau-Hernandez coordinated with conspirators in New Jersey to pick up millions of dollars in cash drug proceeds and convert the cash into cashier's checks or deposit the cash into accounts specified by Humeau-Hernandez so it could be transferred to other accounts. Humeau-Hernandez took these steps in order to conceal the nature, source, ownership, and control of the illegal drug proceeds and to avoid scrutiny by law enforcement and banking institutions. The money laundering charges against Humeau-Hernandez carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $500,000 or twice the amount involved in the offense, whichever is greater. U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the of IRS Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Tammy L. Tomlins; U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, New Jersey Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Susan A. Gibson; the DEA Special Operations Division, and the Santo Domingo Country Office, under the supervision of Special Agent in Charge Renita D. Foster; and the Morristown, New Jersey, Police Department, under the direction of Chief Darnell Richardson; with the investigation leading to the charges. The Justice Department's Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance in securing the arrest of Humeau-Hernandez and his extradition to the United States. U.S. Attorney Sellinger thanked officials in the Dominican Republic for their assistance in the investigation. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan M. Peck of the Criminal Division in Newark. This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
