Daniel Hooker, a 36-year-old resident of Los Angeles, has received a 27-month prison sentence from U.S. District Judge Dena Coggins. This sentence came as a result of his involvement in a money laundering conspiracy, as reported by Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith.
Court records show that from August 2023 to March 2024, Hooker, along with three accomplices, engaged in several financial transactions. These transactions involved funds they assumed were the proceeds of cocaine trafficking. Their understanding of the funds' origins was influenced by someone working under law enforcement guidance. On two occasions, in 2023 and 2024, Hooker interacted with this person in a Rancho Cordova parking lot, collecting $100,000 in cash intended for laundering. Subsequently, Hooker transferred money from an account he managed to an account specified by the individual to facilitate the laundering process. The total sum acquired by the conspirators from purported drug trafficking topped $940,000, with approximately $811,000 successfully laundered.
The case emerged from an inquiry conducted by IRS Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Prosecuting attorneys for the case were Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Thuesen and Whitnee Goins.