Four Indicted in Money Laundering Conspiracy

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a six-count indictment Thursday against Tracy Arnett, 38, of Los Angeles; Daniel Hooker, 35, of Los Angeles; Sandro Duval, 36, of Atlanta, Georgia; and Shelina Bissett, 35, of Atlanta, Georgia, charging them with conspiracy to commit money laundering and charging Arnett and Hooker with additional counts of money laundering, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, from August 2023 through March 2024, Arnett, Hooker, Duval and Bissett conspired to launder purported drug trafficking proceeds, utilizing their personal bank accounts or commercial bank accounts they operated to wire the funds to controlled accounts. By wiring the proceeds, they intended to conceal their unlawful nature and source. In total, the co-conspirators received approximately $940,000 in purported drug trafficking proceeds. Of that amount, the co-conspirators laundered approximately $811,000.

This case is the product of an investigation by the IRS Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Thuesen and Whitnee Goins are prosecuting the case.

If convicted, the defendants face a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine or twice the value of the property involved in the money laundering for the conspiracy count. Arnett and Hooker face a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $200,000 fine for each count of money laundering. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.