Drasana Johnson, a 27-year-old resident of Albany, has been indicted for allegedly laundering over $850,000 in stolen government funds. According to the indictment, approximately $200,000 of these funds were used to purchase a residential property.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, alongside Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Charmeka Parker, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Office of Inspector General (USDA-OIG) Northeast Region.
The indictment specifies that between May 25 and June 30, 2023, Johnson conducted seven monetary transactions exceeding $10,000 each. These transactions were allegedly linked to stolen government property.
A criminal complaint previously filed states that Johnson laundered federal funds stolen by Asjid Parvez from a U.S. Department of Agriculture program intended to assist struggling farmers with loan repayments. "The charges in the indictment and complaint are merely accusations," authorities noted. "The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty."
If convicted on money laundering charges, Johnson faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and up to three years of supervised release. Sentencing will be determined by a judge based on statutory guidelines and other factors.
Asjid Parvez was sentenced in May 2024 to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to theft of federal funds.
To date, the FBI has seized $516,974.54 traceable to the stolen federal funds linked to Parvez's actions. Additionally, the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Asset Recovery Unit has initiated a civil action seeking forfeiture of an Albany residential property purchased with approximately $202,675 in stolen funds attributed to Johnson.
This case is under investigation by both the FBI and USDA Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Paulbeck is handling prosecution duties while Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Conger manages the asset forfeiture proceedings.
