NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED FEDERAL LAWYERS
Chicago Money Laundering Federal Criminal Defense Lawyer
|Last Updated on: 30th September 2025, 09:48 pm
Chicago Federal Money Laundering Lawyer
If you’re on our website, it’s because you’re facing serious federal money laundering charges – and you know deep down you can’t walk into the Northern District of Illinois courtroom with just any lawyer. At Spodek Law Group, we’ve built a reputation for doing the impossible. When the federal government paints you as someone trying to wash “dirty money” through banks, shell companies, or real estate, it’s not just an accusation – it’s an all-out assault on your freedom, career, and future. We take that personally. We protect people when everything is stacked against them.
Our team isn’t theoretical. We are trial lawyers with scars. We have over 50 years of combined federal experience, and we’ve battled prosecutors who came at our clients with unlimited resources – FBI accountants, IRS-CI forensic analysts, DEA agents tracking cash shipments, sometimes ATF involvement too when laundering is connected with firearms trafficking. We’ve handled money laundering cases that hit national headlines, cases with media interest that could crush someone before a single jury even heard evidence. Todd Spodek himself stood in court defending Anna Delvey – the so-called “fake heiress” – a case that turned into a Netflix series. And here in Chicago federal courts, the pressure is even heavier. Judges and prosecutors set the tone: they think money laundering is sophisticated crime, they want serious sentences. We’ve stood against them, and fought.
The Federal Weight of Money Laundering Charges in Chicago
I’ll be straight with you about money laundering cases here: these aren’t petty accusations. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago plays in the big leagues. The Northern District of Illinois is one of the busiest federal districts in America, and the prosecutors here coordinate with FBI Chicago Division, IRS-CI, DEA, sometimes even Homeland Security Investigations. They investigate for a long time — months, years — before letting you know. Trust me, if they’ve indicted you, they’ve already combed through banking records, sent grand jury subpoenas to Chase, Bank of America, local Chicago credit unions, and they’ve probably squeezed someone connected to you into cooperating. Recent cases here ended with defendants getting 12, 14, sometimes 20 years in federal prison. Those sentences were tied to laundering proceeds from narcotics rings, mortgage fraud, healthcare billing schemes. Chicago’s financial infrastructure and proximity to cartel drug routes make it one of the hotbeds of federal laundering prosecutions in the country.
What Are Federal Money Laundering Charges?
Technically speaking, federal money laundering statutes are codified under 18 U.S.C. § 1956 and 18 U.S.C. § 1957. §1956 makes it illegal to conduct financial transactions with the intent to conceal or disguise the source or ownership of criminal proceeds. It covers “promotion” money laundering (using illegal funds to commit more crime), concealment transactions, and international laundering. §1957 is often layered on: it criminalizes spending more than $10,000 in criminal proceeds through a financial institution. Both are hammer statutes in Chicago federal indictments. Prosecutors rarely charge state money laundering here because federal jurisdiction is triggered the moment money flows through banking systems or interstate wires – which is basically every case. If your charges are in the federal courthouse at Dirksen Federal Building downtown, you’re dealing with these statutes.
Look, a lot of people confuse state cases with federal. The difference isn’t small. State of Illinois money laundering charges are one thing, but once you have U.S. Attorneys in Chicago on your back, the penalties, procedure, discovery rules, sentencing guidelines – everything changes. There is no parole in federal court. You serve almost every day of your sentence. The prosecutors here don’t “drop” cases because of overcrowded dockets, they push them forward with discipline. That’s why hiring us – actual federal lawyers – is nonnegotiable when it comes down to defending you properly.
Federal Penalties for Money Laundering in Chicago
The penalties are brutal. Under 18 U.S.C. §1956, you can face up to 20 years in prison per count. Multiply that if the indictment has multiple counts, which it often does. §1957 carries up to 10 years per count. Both carry massive fines – the greater of $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved. Add forfeiture of your assets: homes, bank accounts, vehicles, sometimes retirement accounts. The government in Chicago uses forfeiture law like a bludgeon. I’ve seen people lose everything before trial even started. Sentencing isn’t light either – judges follow the federal sentencing guidelines, which impose enhancements for amounts laundered, sophistication, leadership role, use of foreign accounts, structured deposits. Just last year, someone tied to laundering drug cartel proceeds through Chicago remittance businesses got over 15 years. That’s reality.
How Federal Money Laundering Cases Work in Chicago Courts
Here’s the process. Federal agents investigate quietly – subpoenas to your bank, wire intercepts if there’s drug trafficking, cooperating witnesses who supply names, numbers, and wires. Then comes the grand jury indictment. You might not get a warning, one day you find federal agents at your door or workplace, next thing: arraignment downtown. At that point, the government already has case files lined up – spreadsheets, cooperating testimony, surveillance – everything. Then comes discovery and motions. We fight motions to suppress statements, search warrants, or attack flaws in affidavits. Trials in money laundering cases are document-heavy, with expert witnesses testifying on financial flows. The prosecutors in Chicago rely heavily on flipping someone else in the conspiracy. They present juries with charts and bank records. That’s why defense must be surgical. We attack the “knowledge” element – because that’s the government’s burden. Did you knowingly handle criminal proceeds? Can they really prove what you knew?
We’ve seen these investigations firsthand. For example, in 2023, there was a Northern District case where cartel money was laundered through discount retail and car dealerships along Cicero Avenue. Another involved Medicaid fraud laundering millions through shell “transportation companies.” Both ended in long sentences. Look, the point is simple: Chicago federal prosecutors are aggressive with laundering charges because they see them as tools to dismantle larger criminal networks. That’s what you’re up against.
Why You Need a Federal Lawyer in Chicago
Do you need a specialized federal lawyer? 100%. And let me explain why. Federal cases operate under the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, the Federal Rules of Evidence, and unique sentencing practices. They’re nothing like state court practice in Cook County. So when you walk into Judge Kendall’s or Judge Lee’s courtroom in Chicago, you better believe the prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office already have federal task force support, years of experience, and they know every procedural detail. A state lawyer who only dabbles in criminal practice cannot realistically match that kind of firepower. You need lawyers who are on even footing – lawyers who breathe federal court. That’s us.
We’ve represented clients nationwide – fraud, narcotics-related laundering, international wire transfers investigated by FinCEN – but here in Chicago federal court, we know the landscape. We know the court’s culture, how prosecutors like to posture, and most importantly, how to puncture their narrative when it matters. We don’t play catch-up, we dictate strategy. Some cases are won in negotiations by carefully dismantling enhancements, others are fought at trial by attacking the sufficiency of proof. That judgment call comes from experience, and that’s what we bring.
Strategic Federal Defenses
The essence of money laundering prosecution is knowledge. The statute requires proof that you knew the funds were “criminally derived.” That’s where we attack relentlessly. The government will bring circumstantial evidence – timing of bank deposits, structured transfers under $10k, alleged “red flags” – but suspicion doesn’t prove knowledge. Maybe you thought the investor was legitimate, maybe you thought money moving through your business was normal. We highlight those gaps. Another line of defense is showing that specific underlying offenses – the “specified unlawful activities” – lacked linkage to your transactions. That means even if there was a predicate crime, they must prove that funds you touched came specifically from it. Often prosecutors overreach. They bundle all money together, but legally they must prove the connection. That’s our job, to make it clear they haven’t met their burden.
We’ve also been successful negotiating reductions. Cutting down §1956 counts to lesser §1957 counts changes sentencing exposure dramatically. Sometimes we’ve steered things into false statement charges, which while still serious, don’t carry 20 years. A jury in Chicago federal court can be persuaded too – especially when prosecutors pile on charges just to scare someone. We know how to fight theatrics with facts. And look, there are times when challenging guideline enhancements can shave years off a sentence. Leadership role, abuse of trust, use of sophisticated means – those enhancements can and should be challenged if the facts don’t support them. That’s federal defense in action. Not every lawyer understands that.
Local Insights: Chicago Money Laundering Enforcement
Chicago is unique. Federal prosecutors here treat money laundering as a pathway crime – they use it to cut into drug cartels, gang activity, organized fraud. The DEA Chicago office and FBI Financial Crimes Squad often collaborate. Agents from IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) are brought in to trace bank records, unreported cash purchases, real estate. Homeland Security Investigations sometimes joins when cross-border wires are involved. I’ve seen laundering cases pop up in indictments from major task forces targeting the Sinaloa Cartel. I’ve also seen physician kickback schemes routed through fake consulting businesses, then treated as laundering counts tacked onto fraud. Chicago prosecutors have media strategy too. They want to issue press releases, they want the Sun-Times and Tribune headlines to brand someone as the “money man” of a conspiracy. That’s why you need lawyers who kill the government’s narrative and remind the court the system is about evidence, not TV plots.
It’s like the Anna Delvey case – prosecutors will always try to wrap a dramatic story around the facts. They spin laundering charges like a Netflix script. And juries sometimes fall for it. Our job: to keep them grounded in law and proof. We don’t let the government’s storyline replace hard evidence. That’s what we bring to Chicago money laundering defense.
Cost Considerations
How much will it cost? Hard to give you a number here, because every case looks different. A single §1957 charge tied to one bank deposit is not the same as a 25-count indictment with multiple conspirators, millions of dollars traced across three states, and co-defendants flipping. But make no mistake: the cost of not investing in a true defense is decades in prison. Federal sentences are real. Life trajectories are destroyed. We’re transparent with fees, we work with clients, we structure retainers honestly. The important thing: you cannot treat this lightly. This isn’t the time to nickel and dime. This is about survival. And we don’t just practice locally – Spodek Law Group takes on federal cases nationwide – but we are immediately available for Chicago federal cases. We know the courthouse, the judges, the prosecutors. That’s what matters.
Call Us Now
Federal prosecutors in Chicago are already writing a story about you. If you wait, that story becomes the only one the court hears. You need us to start writing yours. We’ve got 50+ years of combined experience, real trial work, cases people said were impossible, cases splashed across headlines. We’ve stood in Chicago federal courtrooms toe-to-toe with Assistant U.S. Attorneys who don’t take prisoners. And we’ve won, we’ve negotiated, we’ve kept people out of prison when the government wanted nothing less than decades.
Spodek Law Group owes loyalty to only YOU. We are not beholden to the government, or judges, or anyone else. Just you. If you’re facing a federal money laundering charge in Chicago – this is the time to hire a law firm that gets it. Call us now for a confidential consultation. We’ll step in immediately, before the government defines your future.