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- The US Justice Department has indicted Maximilien de Hoop Cartier for his alleged involvement in laundering proceeds from drug trafficking using Tether (USDT).
- The indictment discloses how Cartier would use shell companies to defraud financial institutions into believing he was a software and technology company.
The US Justice Department (DoJ) has arrested Maximilien de Hoop Cartier, a direct heir to the Cartier jewelry empire, on charges of money laundering and conspiracy. The arrest comes after allegations surfaced of Cartier’s involvement in a scheme to launder the proceeds of drug trafficking through the use of tether (USDT), a type of cryptocurrency.
Cartier and his associates, including five Colombian nationals, reportedly attempted to import 100 kilos of cocaine and subsequently laundered large sums of money, primarily through over-the-counter USDT trades. Despite successfully laundering 14.5 million USDT before their apprehension, law enforcement intervened, leading to Cartier’s detention in a Miami facility and the incarceration of his co-conspirators in Colombian prisons.
The indictment discloses how Cartier would use shell companies to defraud financial institutions into believing he was a software and technology company. He allegedly carried out unlicensed money transmission by using these fronts to launder hundreds of millions of criminal proceeds in USDT, dollars, and pesos, among other convertible currencies.
International Operations Unveiled
Although Cartier primarily resided in France and held Argentine citizenship, his alleged criminal activities extended across borders, demonstrating the international reach of money laundering operations. He is also an heir to jeweler Louis Francis Cartier, who had founded the expensive company in Paris in 1847 and was partly owner of a Patagonia wine, beer, and bottled water company, Patagonia.
USDT, a stablecoin pegged to the US dollar, has gained notoriety for its role in facilitating illicit financial transactions. While Tether’s parent company has consistently reassured the public of its commitment to combatting criminal use of USDT, instances like Cartier’s indictment underscore the challenges posed by digital currencies in law enforcement efforts. Cryptocurrencies’ inherent anonymity and ease of transfer present unique obstacles in detecting and preventing illicit financial activities.
Industry Ramifications and Legal Response
The indictment comes on the heels of a May 2 announcement by Tether that it is planning to build a monitoring tool that can track secondary market movements of the stablecoin. In collaboration with the blockchain intelligence firm Chainalysis, the effort was meant to trace suspicious transactions involving the stablecoin that were potentially linked to terrorist financing. Moreover, this is coming on the heels of a growing level of scrutiny by the regulators of Tether, with concerns about the use of Tether in facilitating cross-border transactions, particularly in areas under sanctions.
Tether Enhances Compliance Measures with Chainalysis Ecosystem Monitoring Solution. Tether has collaborated with @chainalysis, the blockchain data platform to develop a customizable solution for monitoring secondary market activity.
Read Morehttps://t.co/8r5NwJmL5q
— Tether (@Tether_to) May 2, 2024
The Chainalysis partnership will provide Tether with some of the most advanced tools to identify sanctioned entities’ transactions and monitor major token holders’ activities. According to these reports, Venezuelan and Russian entities have been found to use Tether for their illegal activities. Tether has recently come forward with the promise to freeze those assets that have connections with PDVSA, the Venezuelan state-owned oil company that is on the run, avoiding sanctions.