Title: 18 U.S. Code § 1956 - Laundering of monetary instruments | U.S. Code | US Law | LII / Legal Information Institute
Headings: 18 U.S. Code § 1956 - Laundering of monetary instruments
18 U.S. Code § 1956 - Laundering of monetary instruments
Content: (2) Whoever transports, transmits, or transfers, or attempts to transport, transmit, or transfer a monetary instrument or funds from a place in the United States to or through a place outside the United States or to a place in the United States from or through a place outside the United States —
(A)
with the intent to promote the carrying on of specified unlawful activity; or
(B) knowing that the monetary instrument or funds involved in the transportation, transmission, or transfer represent the proceeds of some form of unlawful activity and knowing that such transportation, transmission, or transfer is designed in whole or in part—
(i)
to conceal or disguise the nature, the location, the source, the ownership, or the control of the proceeds of specified unlawful activity; or
(ii)
to avoid a transaction reporting requirement under State or Federal law,
shall be sentenced to a fine of not more than $500,000 or twice the value of the monetary instrument or funds involved in the transportation, transmission, or transfer, whichever is greater, or imprisonment for not more than twenty years, or both. For the purpose of the offense described in subparagraph (B), the defendant’s knowledge may be established by proof that a law enforcement officer represented the matter specified in subparagraph (B) as true, and the defendant’s subsequent statements or actions indicate that the defendant believed such representations to be true. (3) Whoever, with the intent—
(A)
to promote the carrying on of specified unlawful activity; (B)
to conceal or disguise the nature, location, source, ownership, or control of property believed to be the proceeds of specified unlawful activity; or
(C)
to avoid a transaction reporting requirement under State or Federal law,
conducts or attempts to conduct a financial transaction involving property represented to be the proceeds of specified unlawful activity, or property used to conduct or facilitate specified unlawful activity, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for not more than 20 years, or both. For purposes of this paragraph and paragraph (2), the term “represented” means any representation made by a law enforcement officer or by another person at the direction of, or with the approval of, a Federal official authorized to investigate or prosecute violations of this section. (b) Penalties.— (1) In general.—Whoever conducts or attempts to conduct a transaction described in subsection (a) (1) or (a) (3), or section 1957, or a transportation, transmission, or transfer described in subsection (a) (2), is liable to the United States for a civil penalty of not more than the greater of—
(A)
the value of the property, funds, or monetary instruments involved in the transaction;