Four Nebraskans Indicted for Structuring Currency Transactions

            United States Attorney Deborah R. Gilg and Tanya T. Brewer, Acting Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation, announced that four Nebraskans were indicted for structuring financial transactions in an effort to defeat legal reporting requirements imposed on financial institutions.  “Structuring” refers to the manipulation of cash transactions for the purpose of preventing a financial institution from filing certain reports.  For example, federal law requires financial institutions, credit unions, casinos and money service businesses to file a Currency Transaction Report with the Internal Revenue Service whenever a person deposits more than $10,000.00 in cash. The purpose of the law prohibiting structured deposits is to help identify suspicious cash transactions that might be indicative of other criminal activity.  A person engaged in structuring might break up a cache of currency in excess of $10,000.00 into multiple deposits for the purpose of keeping the institution from filing the required report.  The four individuals indicted by the Grand Jury, in separate and unrelated cases, are as follows:

Peter V. Bristol, age 51 of Omaha, is charged in a 13-count indictment.  In Counts 1 through 12 it is alleged that on various dates from on or about May 8, 2009, through on or about April 24, 2011, Bristol structured financial transactions to evade reporting requirements when he made deposits in the amount of approximately $131,504.00 to Security National Bank.  Count 13 charges Bristol with structuring financial transactions to evade reporting requirements when he conducted approximately 93 transactions from on or about February 2, 2009, to on or about November 12, 2012, to Security National Bank, in the amount of approximately $878,897.00. 

Randy L. Evans, age 59 of Grand Island, is charged in a 15-count indictment.  In Counts 1 through 14 it is alleged that on various dates from on or about March 29, 2010, through on or about December 27, 2011, Evans structured financial transactions to evade reporting requirements when he made deposits in the amount of approximately $210,381.00 to Five Points Bank.  Count 15 charges Evans with structuring financial transactions to evade reporting requirements when he conducted approximately 449 transactions from on or about January 4, 2010, to on or about February 28, 2012, to Five Points Bank, in the amount of approximately $2,030,322.00. 

Arturo W. Torres, age 35 of Bellevue, is charged in a three-count indictment.  In Counts 1 and 2 it is alleged that on or about January 6, 2011, and February 24, 2011, respectively, Torres structured financial transactions to evade reporting requirements when he made deposits in the amount of approximately $19,360.00 to First National Bank.  Count 3 charges Torres with structuring financial transactions to evade reporting requirements when he conducted approximately 177 transactions from on or about February 6, 2010, to on or about January 31, 2012, to the First National Bank of Omaha, in the amount of approximately $631,289. 00. 

Irma Crispin-Gomez, age 41 of Grand Island, is charged in a 16-count indictment.  In Counts 1 through 15 it is alleged that on various dates from on or about June 27, 2009, through on or about March 19, 2012, Crispin-Gomez structured financial transactions to evade reporting requirements when she made deposits in the amount of approximately $247,800.00 to Five Points Bank.  Count 16 charges Crispin-Gomez with structuring financial transactions to evade reporting requirements when she conducted approximately 423 transactions from on or about January 5, 2009, through on or about March 30, 2012, to Five Points Bank and Wells Fargo Bank, in the amount of approximately $2,082,338.00. 

All the counts in all four indictments are punishable by imprisonment of up to 5 years, a fine of up to $250,000.00, or both, to be followed by up to 3 years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. 

“The structuring of currency is an avenue used by individuals and businesses to conceal the true source of their money,” said Tanya T. Brewer, Acting Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation.  “Information from currency reports filed with the IRS provides a paper trail or roadmap for investigations of financial crimes and illegal activities.”

“Financial crimes, especially structuring, are oftentimes a method used to evade payment of taxes lawfully owed to the United States.  We will continue to aggressively pursue these crimes in order to protect the millions of Americans that lawfully comply with our tax laws,” according to United States Attorney Deborah R. Gilg

An indictment is merely an accusation and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.