A former employee of TD Bank, N.A. in Florida has pleaded guilty to accepting bribes and facilitating the laundering of more than $5.5 million to Colombia using bank accounts at the institution.
Leonardo Ayala, 25, from Homestead, Florida, admitted guilt before Judge Esther Salas in Newark to charges of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments and receiving bribes as a bank employee. Sentencing is scheduled for June 11.
Court documents and statements presented in court revealed that between June 2023 and November 2023, while working at TD Bank’s Doral branch, Ayala accepted bribes to assist a money laundering network with transferring funds out of the United States. Ayala reportedly boasted about his connections by saying he was “tapped in with them Venezuelans.” He facilitated the scheme by opening fraudulent accounts, issuing debit cards, reactivating blocked cards previously flagged by TD Bank for suspicious activity, and providing other banking services to those involved.
Ayala issued over 150 debit cards linked to six business accounts opened by another TD Bank employee based in Scotch Plains, New Jersey. These debit cards were used for more than 10,000 ATM withdrawals across Colombia amounting to approximately $4.7 million. According to prosecutors, Ayala received more than $6,000 for his role in the operation through cash or peer-to-peer payment platforms.
If convicted on both counts at sentencing, Ayala faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $500,000 or twice the value involved for money laundering conspiracy. The bribery charge carries a maximum penalty of 30 years’ imprisonment and a fine up to $1 million or three times the value involved.
The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG). The Morristown Police Department also provided assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Marko Pesce leads prosecution efforts along with trial attorneys D. Zachary Adams and Chelsea Rooney from the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section.
“The Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section’s Bank Integrity Unit investigates and prosecutes banks and other financial institutions, including their officers, managers and employees whose actions threaten the integrity of the individual institution or the wider financial system,” according to information released by prosecutors.
Defense counsel for Ayala is Peter Katz.
