New York Man Sentenced to Five Years for Money Laundering Conspiracy
Abu Khamza, 35, was sentenced on September 2, 2026, in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, for conspiring to launder over $572,000 in what he believed to be drug money.
2 reports on this incident · first at Sep 2, 2026, 4:51 p.m. ET
This case is not concluded. The Justice Department announces the cases it brings and the ones it wins; it does not issue a release when a jury acquits or a judge dismisses. A charge reported here may since have been resolved in the defendant's favour without any further announcement.
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Earlier reports
Sep 2, 2026, 4:51 p.m. ETFirst report
New York Man Sentenced to Five Years for Money Laundering Conspiracy
A New York man was sentenced on September 2, 2026, to five years in prison for conspiring to commit money laundering, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Abu Khamza, 35, pleaded guilty in May 2026 to conspiring to launder into cryptocurrency over $572,000 in what he believed to be drug money, with the belief that the cryptocurrency would be transmitted to mujahideen in Syria. Court documents state that Khamza believed the funds were generated by the illicit sale of prescription drugs, which the pharmacy owner could sell legitimately for $8 but sell without a prescription for $500.
Evidence introduced in court showed that, in addition to laundering cash into crypto, Khamza also engaged in extortion, cargo theft, auto theft, pandemic relief fraud, and check fraud.
The announcement was made by Theophani K. Stamos, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Michael A. Burgwald, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office's Counterterrorism Division, after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Rossie D. Alston Jr.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, FBI New York and Philadelphia Field Offices, and the New York County District Attorney's Office assisted in the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gordon D. Kromberg and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacques Rio Singer-Emery, a Trial Attorney for the Justice Department's National Security Division, prosecuted the case.
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Revision history
- Version 12 Sept 2026, 20:52current
First published.
- Version 12 Sept 2026, 20:51current
First published.
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