Michele Beckwith Acting U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California
Daniel Hooker, a Los Angeles resident, has been sentenced to 27 months in prison for his participation in a money laundering scheme related to purported drug trafficking proceeds. The sentencing, delivered by U.S. District Judge Dena Coggins, was announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith.
Court documents revealed that between August 2023 and March 2024, Hooker, along with three others, engaged in financial transactions they believed involved profits from cocaine trafficking. They were misled by an individual acting under the directive of law enforcement. In two separate instances, Hooker accepted $100,000 in cash from this individual during meetings in a Rancho Cordova parking lot. He then transferred these funds from an account he controlled to another account specified by the individual, intending to facilitate money laundering.
Throughout the conspiracy, the group reportedly handled about $940,000 in alleged drug money, successfully laundering approximately $811,000 of it. The case was investigated by the IRS Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Thuesen and Whitnee Goins leading the prosecution.
