Money Laundering Defense Attorney in Jersey City, NJ, Providing Strategic Representation in Complex State and Federal Financial Crime Investigations
Money laundering allegations are different from many other criminal charges. They are often built on months or years of financial records, multiple agencies, and complicated theories about how money moved through accounts, companies, or cash businesses. A money laundering investigation in Hudson, Essex, Union, Middlesex, or Passaic County can threaten not only your liberty, but also your professional license, business, finances, and reputation.
When the State claims that ordinary banking, business, or family transactions are actually “financial facilitation of criminal activity,” you need a North Jersey money laundering lawyer who understands both the law and the real-world context of complex financial cases.
Anthony R. Gualano has devoted more than 35 years to defending people charged with serious crimes in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He is certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Criminal Trial Attorney, a recognition held by only a small percentage of attorneys statewide. Over decades in practice, he has handled high-stakes financial and fraud matters along with homicide, weapons offenses, racketeering, sex offenses, and official misconduct, and has tried countless jury and bench trials.
From his office at 549 Summit Avenue in Jersey City, Mr. Gualano represents professionals, business owners, public employees, parents, and students across North and Central Jersey. As a money laundering defense attorney in Jersey City, NJ, he is known for careful, low-profile preparation, a strategic courtroom presence, and a deep awareness of the consequences that a money laundering case can have beyond the four corners of an indictment. use his online contact form to reach out to him today.
How New Jersey Defines Money Laundering
In New Jersey, what most people call “money laundering” is charged as Financial Facilitation of Criminal Activity under N.J.S.A. 2C:21-25. The statute is broad. It covers several categories of conduct, including:
- Transporting or possessing property that the person knows, or that a reasonable person would believe, is derived from criminal activity
- Engaging in a transaction involving property known, or that a reasonable person would believe, is derived from criminal activity, knowing that the transaction is designed in whole or in part to conceal the nature, location, source, ownership, or control of the property, or to avoid a transaction reporting requirement under state or federal law
- Directing, organizing, financing, planning, managing, supervising, or controlling the transportation of or transactions in property that is known, or that a reasonable person would believe, is derived from criminal activity
“Property derived from criminal activity” is defined broadly. The statute allows the State to proceed even when it cannot prove the exact underlying crime, as long as it can show that the property represents proceeds from “some form” of criminal activity, and permits juries to infer knowledge when money is moved or held in ways that are inconsistent with legitimate practice and lack documentation showing a lawful source.
In practice, this means the State can charge money laundering alongside a wide range of alleged predicate offenses, including drug distribution, theft, fraud, public corruption, organized retail theft, and cybercrime.
Degrees Of Offense and Penalties
The grading of New Jersey money laundering offenses depends mainly on the amount involved. Under N.J.S.A. 2C:21-27:
- If the amount involved is $500,000 or more, the offense is a first-degree crime.
- If the amount involved is at least $75,000 but less than $500,000, it is a second-degree crime.
- Otherwise, the offense is a third-degree crime, except for certain lesser conduct that is specifically treated as third-degree.
A first-degree conviction typically carries 10 to 20 years in New Jersey State Prison, a second-degree conviction 5 to 10 years, and a third-degree conviction 3 to 5 years, along with substantial monetary fines.
The money laundering statute also allows courts to impose extraordinary fines. For many cases under 2C:21-27, the court may impose a fine up to $500,000, regardless of the normal maximums for that degree of crime.
Anti-Money Laundering Profiteering Penalty
On top of standard fines, New Jersey authorizes an Anti-Money Laundering Profiteering Penalty under N.J.S.A. 2C:21-27.2 and related sections. If the prosecutor establishes by a preponderance of the evidence that a defendant was convicted of money laundering under 2C:21-23 through 21-27, the court must assess an additional monetary penalty of:
- $500,000 for a first-degree crime
- $250,000 for a second-degree crime
- $75,000 for a third-degree crime
or an amount equal to three times the value of the property involved, whichever is greater. This penalty is in addition to other fines, restitution, and forfeiture actions. It does not replace them.
Consecutive Sentences And Non-Merger
New Jersey’s statute specifically provides that money laundering convictions do not merge with the underlying criminal activity that generated the proceeds. Courts may impose consecutive sentences, meaning that time for the predicate offense and time for the money laundering offense can be required to run back-to-back rather than together.
For a professional, business owner, or parent, this combination of potential prison time, high fines, profit-based penalties, and consecutive sentences makes it essential that a North Jersey money laundering lawyer examine both the grading and amount calculations very carefully.
Common Money Laundering Allegations in North Jersey
Money laundering allegations can arise in many different contexts, including:
- Drug-related cases: Where the State claims that cash deposits, transfers, or purchases are designed to conceal proceeds of distribution
- Healthcare, insurance, or benefits fraud: Where reimbursements, fraudulent claims, or kickbacks are alleged to have been routed through shell companies or layered bank accounts
- Public office corruption or official misconduct: Where bribes or unlawful payments are alleged to have been disguised as legitimate consulting fees, contracts, or charitable donations
- Organized theft or fencing operations: Including organized retail theft, vehicle theft, or burglary rings where sale proceeds are moved through cash businesses, wire transfers, or prepaid instruments
- Cybercrime and online schemes: Where digital currency wallets, payment apps, or offshore accounts are used to receive or move funds from phishing, identity theft, or other internet-based offenses
In some matters, the person charged with money laundering is also accused of committing the underlying criminal activity. In others, the State claims that the accused “should have known” funds were dirty because of how they were handled, even if there is no direct proof of involvement in the original offense.
As a money laundering defense attorney in Jersey City, NJ, Mr. Gualano sees many cases where business owners, accountants, real estate professionals, or family members are pulled into money laundering prosecutions primarily because their accounts or entities appear in suspicious transaction reports or investigative spreadsheets, not because they personally engaged in any obvious criminal conduct.
How a North Jersey Money Laundering Lawyer Builds a Defense
Because money laundering cases are document-heavy and intent-based, effective defense work requires both a close reading of the statutes and a granular review of financial records.
Understanding The Transactions And Flow Of Funds
Mr. Gualano begins by mapping out how money actually moved:
- Bank and credit union records
- PayPal, Zelle, Venmo, Cash App, and similar payment platform records
- Wire transfers, cashier’s checks, money orders, and cash deposits
- Business ledgers, invoices, and receipts
It is common for investigative summaries to oversimplify or mischaracterize large blocks of transactions. By reconstructing the flow of funds and linking payments to actual goods, services, loans, or investments, he looks for lawful explanations that contradict the prosecution narrative.
Challenging The “Criminal Activity” Element
The statute allows conviction even if the State cannot prove the exact underlying crime, but it still must show that the property represents proceeds of some form of criminal activity.
A strategic defense focuses on:
- Whether there is credible evidence that particular transactions involved illegal proceeds, rather than lawful business or personal income
- Whether the State is assuming that money is unlawful simply because of its source, geography, or cash nature
- Whether legitimate but informal practices, such as cash-based family businesses or community savings arrangements, are being misinterpreted
By undermining the claim that funds were criminal proceeds, a money laundering defense attorney in Jersey City, NJ, can attack a foundational element of the case.
Knowledge And Intent To Conceal Or Avoid Reporting
For many charges under N.J.S.A. 2C:21-25, the State must prove that the accused knew the property was derived from criminal activity, or that a reasonable person would have believed that to be the case. For the concealment prong, it must also show that the transaction was designed to hide the nature, source, or ownership of funds, or to avoid reporting requirements.
In reality, business owners, professionals, or family members may:
- Rely on accountants or bookkeepers
- Follow long-standing cash handling habits
- Accept explanations from partners or relatives about the source of funds
Your North Jersey money laundering lawyer may therefore center on:
- What the client actually understood about the money and its origin
- Whether there were legitimate reasons for using cash, splitting deposits, or moving funds between accounts
- Whether patterns that prosecutors call “structuring” or “layering” are, in context, ordinary business practice
If the State cannot convincingly prove knowledge and intent, its case becomes significantly weaker.
Disputing The Amount Involved
As with many New Jersey financial crimes, the degree of a money laundering charge depends on the amount involved. Courts have dealt with how to calculate that amount, including whether to count unsold merchandise, aggregate payments, or net and gross figures. Mr. Gualano analyzes:
- Whether all transactions included in the State’s calculation actually qualify as laundering under the statute
- Whether money is being double-counted when it moves between accounts.
- Whether any transactions reflect legitimate business operations, not criminal proceeds.
Reducing the amount involved can move a case from first-degree to second-degree, or from second-degree to third-degree, which can result in significantly fewer years of potential imprisonment and lower monetary penalties.
Constitutional Challenges to Searches And Seizures
Money laundering investigations often rely on search warrants, subpoenas, and seizures of accounts or property. A seasoned North Jersey white collar crime lawyer, such as Mr. Gualano, examines:
- Whether search warrants were supported by probable cause and properly limited in scope
- Whether law enforcement exceeded the bounds of warrants in reviewing or seizing digital data
- Whether any account freezes or forfeiture actions violated statutory and constitutional requirements
When evidence is obtained improperly, motions to suppress or to challenge forfeitures may be appropriate. Successful challenges can reduce the State’s leverage and narrow its proof at trial.
State and Federal Considerations
Many New Jersey money laundering investigations stay in state court under 2C:21-25 and related statutes. Others involve parallel or potential federal exposure, which criminalize certain financial transactions involving the proceeds of specified unlawful activity.
Mr. Gualano’s decades of criminal practice in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania, as well as his admissions in various federal courts, allow him to:
- Recognize when a state case may attract federal interest
- Advise clients on the risks of parallel investigations
- Coordinate strategy with federal counsel where necessary
For clients with professional licenses or sensitive immigration status, the interplay between state and federal allegations can be critical to long-term planning.
Who Turns to Anthony R. Gualano in Money Laundering Cases
While money laundering allegations can be brought against many types of people, a large portion of Mr. Gualano’s financial crime practice involves:
- Business owners, managers, and entrepreneurs whose companies and employees depend on them
- Licensed professionals, including lawyers, healthcare providers, accountants, educators, and public employees
- Individuals accused of acting as intermediaries, such as family members or associates, whose accounts or names were used in financial transactions
- Defendants in drug, fraud, or theft cases who suddenly face separate money laundering counts based on how funds were handled
These clients are often as concerned about license boards, regulatory agencies, civil lawsuits, and reputational harm as they are about criminal sentencing ranges. Because Mr. Gualano also has decades of experience in civil and family litigation, he is able to recognize and address how a money laundering case intersects with business disputes, divorce, custody, and asset division.
He is known by judges, colleagues, and clients for his preparation, his strategic thinking, and his ability to maintain a cooperative but firm relationship with prosecutors and courts, which can be especially important in complex financial matters.
Speak With a North Jersey Money Laundering Lawyer
If you are under investigation or have been charged with financial facilitation of criminal activity, money laundering, or related fraud and theft offenses in Jersey City, Newark, Elizabeth, Paterson, New Brunswick, or anywhere in North Jersey, you should not assume that the situation is simply a misunderstanding that will clear itself up. The State is already reviewing bank records, transaction logs, and digital data in order to build its case.
To speak directly with an experienced money laundering lawyer, contact Anthony R. Gualano Law in Jersey City with his online form. As a seasoned money laundering defense attorney in Jersey City, NJ, Mr. Gualano will review the allegations and financial records with you, explain the law and the potential exposure in clear, practical terms, and begin developing the careful, strategic defense you need to protect your liberty, your livelihood, and your future.