Opinion ID: 741804
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Money Laundering/Monetary Transactions With Unlawfully

Text: Derived Funds 45 All four defendants challenge their convictions, on multiple counts, of money laundering, 18 U.S.C. § 1956, and engaging in monetary transactions with unlawfully derived funds, 18 U.S.C. § 1957. The elements of a § 1956 violation are: (1) the defendant conducted a financial transaction which involved the proceeds of unlawful activity; (2) defendant knew that the property involved in the transaction was the proceeds of specified unlawful activity; and (3) that defendant intended to promote the carrying on of specified unlawful activity. United States v. Williams, 87 F.3d 249, 254-55 (8th Cir.1996). A conviction under § 1957 requires a showing that: (1) defendant knowingly engaged in a monetary transaction; (2) the defendant knew that the property involved derived from specified unlawful activity; and (3) the property is of a value greater than $10,000. See United States v. Hare, 49 F.3d 447, 451 (8th Cir.1995). 46 The § 1957 counts involved a number of deposits, payments, and transfers of the proceeds of the charged-off loans after the sale to FNF, the profits on the resale of the FWMC loans, and the $71,010.31 interest adjustment sent to FNF for the FWMC loans. Hastings's and Van Brocklin's § 1956 money laundering convictions stemmed from their deposit and immediate transfer of the two checks totaling $980,000 that Van Brocklin received from the FWMC loan sales, and which were the basis of the bribery convictions. In light of the evidence already summarized, the jury could reasonably have found that these transactions met the elements set forth above. 47 As noted previously, defendants contend that an effect on interstate commerce is an essential element of these crimes, rather than simply a jurisdictional requirement. If we assume, without deciding, that such an effect is an element of these crimes, there was nonetheless ample evidence to support these convictions. The smallest of these transactions involved $14,000 and the largest $1,362,142.92. Defendants' conduct involved a number of banks and individuals in three different states. A reasonable jury could find that each of these transactions had an effect on interstate commerce. 7 48 Finally, Defendants challenge the forfeiture judgments entered against them, on the basis that there was insufficient evidence for conviction on the predicate crimes. Because we find the evidence sufficient for all of the convictions, we affirm the forfeiture judgments, except as otherwise discussed below.