Defendant alleged to have accepted drug proceeds from undercover federal agent posing as drug trafficker Date: May 1, 2024 Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Hassan Tucker, of Baltimore, Maryland, with money laundering and violation of Bank Secrecy Act transaction reporting requirements. The indictment was returned on April 9, 2024, and unsealed today upon Tucker’s recent arrest. The defendant made an initial appearance on Monday April 29, 2024, in the U.S. District Court in Baltimore before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Mark Coulson. Further proceedings will be set at a later date. The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter of IRS Criminal Investigation, Baltimore Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Baltimore Field Office. According to the two-count indictment, on January 27, 2023, Tucker accepted $27,000 in U.S. Currency from an undercover federal agent posing as a drug trafficker in exchange for the purchase of a luxury SUV. Before completing the transaction, the undercover federal agent represented to Tucker that the $27,000 in U.S. Currency was the proceeds of drug trafficking activity. To conceal the transaction and the true owner of the SUV, Tucker agreed to place the SUV in the name of a female associate of the undercover federal agent and did not report the cash transaction as he knew he was required to do under federal law. If convicted, Tucker faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison under Count One and five years in federal prison under Count Two. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings. This case is also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations 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. United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended IRS-CI and the DEA for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven T. Brantley, who is prosecuting the federal case. Please visit the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office's website to learn more.
