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Monday 20 September 2010

Six years jail for cyber-crooks money laundering scam

A 38-year-old California man has been sentenced to six years in prison for laundering money for cyber-thieves through an online payment system called e-Gold.

Cesar Carranza, also known by the handle "uBuyWeRush," participated in the money laundering scheme "between April 2004 and November 2006," the Department of Justice said in a recent news release.

According to the indictment Carranza received cash deposits from cyber-criminals who use stolen credit card information—and laundered the money by, among other things, "acting as a money exchanger for an online payment system known as e-Gold."

Three directors of e-Gold had been "convicted of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business," the DOJ said.

Carranza pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to launder proceeds of unlawful activity. All told, Carranza was accused of helping to launder $2.5 million in illegal proceeds.