Marijuana Distributed in Utica, New York Came From Farm in Northern California
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK - Simona Borissova, 31, of Danville, California, was sentenced on Friday by Chief U.S. District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby to a term of 24 months imprisonment, followed by 3 years of supervised release, and ordered to forfeit $273,665.00 in a money judgment, announced United States Attorney Richard S. Hartunian. The sentence followed her Feb. 26, 2016 guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to distribute marijuana and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
According to her written plea agreement, between January 2011 and August 2015, Simona Borissova, who lived in Las Vegas, caused marijuana to be driven from a marijuana farm in Northern California, owned by her parents, to various stash houses in Las Vegas, where others in the criminal conspiracy would take possession of the marijuana and ship it to Utica, New York and other cities around the United States. It was further part of the conspiracy that to pay for the marijuana shipped to individuals in Utica, New York, marijuana buyers and co-conspirators would deposit money into various bank accounts, some held in the names of third parties including Borissova. The cash was then withdrawn by Borissova from her accounts and used to purchase more marijuana, pay expenses, or otherwise spent at Borissova’s discretion.
As part of her guilty plea, Borissova admitted she knew the financial transactions involved proceeds from the marijuana distribution conspiracy and were conducted to conceal the true nature, source, and control of the proceeds. Borissova admitted in court that she conspired with others to engage in money laundering involving $273,665, which was the total amount of money orders purchased with proceeds from the sale of marijuana in and around Utica, New York which was used for payment for the marijuana shipped from California to Utica, New York.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office, the New York State Police, the Oneida County District Attorney’s Office, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl G. Eurenius and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney and Oneida County ADA Grant J. Garramone.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
