SIOUX CITY – A woman who laundered funds from her illegal business pled guilty August 9, 2021, in federal court in Sioux City. Yesenia Ledesma-Ledezma, age 23, from Albert City, Iowa, was convicted of money laundering and agreed to forfeit property she acquired with proceeds from her illegal business.
At the plea hearing, Ledesma-Ledezma admitted that on April 9, 2020, she engaged in money laundering by purchasing a home for approximately $65,000 with proceeds derived from her extensive business operations which involved smuggling counterfeit goods into the United States and trafficking those counterfeit goods. The counterfeit goods known to law enforcement had an approximate domestic value of over $370,000, and defendant took in a profit of at least $65,000 from her counterfeit trafficking and smuggling activities.
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Ledesma-Ledezma remains free on bond pending sentencing. Ledesma-Ledezma faces a possible maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ron Timmons and was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Postal Inspection Service.
