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Colombia-Based Crypto Broker Sentenced to 160 Months for Laundering $14.5M in USDT
A Colombia-based crypto broker named Leonardo de Jesus Zuluaga Duque, who went by the nickname 'Rey,' was sentenced to 160 months (over 13 years) in a US federal court for laundering approximately $14.5 million in USDT. The scheme ran from May to November 2023 and involved multiple accomplices, crypto accounts, shell companies, and money transfers. The court ordered the forfeiture of $14.75 million and the seizure of digital assets held in four crypto addresses controlled by the broker. The Department of Justice highlighted the role of USDT as the main mechanism for moving illicit funds, emphasizing the priority of digital asset channels in drug cases for US authorities.