Father, son indicted on charges of smuggling crude oil, supporting Mexican cartel
The Brief
Two Utah men with ties to a South Texas company face federal charges for allegedly supporting the CJNG cartel, a designated terrorist group.
They are accused of providing U.S. currency to the cartel and laundering money from illegally smuggled crude oil through their Rio Hondo business.
If convicted, the men face up to 20 years in prison for the main charges; authorities also seek a $300 million judgment and have seized assets.
TEXAS - Two family members with ties to South Texas face federal charges for allegedly conspiring to provide material support to a Mexican drug cartel designated as a foreign terrorist organization, along with money laundering and smuggling crude oil, federal authorities announced.
A superseding indictment returned May 22 in the Southern District of Texas charges Maxwell Sterling Jensen, 25, of Draper, Utah, and James Lael Jensen, 68, of Sandy, Utah, with conspiring to provide U.S. currency to the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG). The U.S. Secretary of State designated CJNG as a foreign terrorist organization earlier this year.
The indictment alleges the Jensen father-son duo operated Arroyo Terminals, a company based in Rio Hondo, Texas. They are accused of conspiring to conduct financial transactions to conceal proceeds from illegally smuggled crude oil and aiding the fraudulent entry of approximately 2,881 shipments of oil.
What they're saying
"This case underscores the more aggressive and innovative approach we are taking towards combatting the scourge of drug cartels," said U.S. Attorney Nicholas Ganjei for the Southern District of Texas, emphasizing a focus on cartel enablers.
"Cases like this highlight the often-dangerous relationships between alleged unscrupulous U.S. businesses and terrorist organizations," said ICE Homeland Security Investigations San Antonio Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee. "Through strong collaborations and relentless investigative work, we and our partners exposed a possible large-scale operation that allegedly attempted to move millions in illicit crude oil and launder the proceeds. HSI remains committed to protecting our economy and holding offenders accountable."
Dig deeper
The investigation, dubbed "Operation Liquid Death," involved U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI, and IRS Criminal Investigation, with assistance from other federal and state agencies.
What's next
Authorities have seized four tank barges with crude oil, tanker trucks, and other property. The government is also seeking a $300 million money judgment upon conviction.
The charges of conspiracy to provide material support and conspiracy to commit money laundering each carry a potential prison term of up to 20 years. Additional smuggling charges carry potential sentences of five to 10 years.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys James Sturgis and Laura Garcia are prosecuting the case.
The Source
Information in this article is from U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.
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