John Meister booking photo. Courtesy/OAG

OAG News:

ALBUQUERQUE – The Anti-Money Laundering Unit of the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has successfully prosecuted John Meister of New Mexico, resulting in $100,000 in restitution to victims.

The OAG Anti-Money Laundering Unit’s criminal investigation proved that Meister devised a scam to mislead two victims into bogus investment schemes while he was working for FedEx in 2013-2014.

Bernalillo County District Court has scheduled sentencing for Aug. 26, 2015 and the OAG can argue for the maximum sentence of seven years of incarceration at the sentencing hearing.

“My policy is to request maximum accountability so that the punishment will fit the crime because financial crimes can be devastating to victims as well as our fragile economy,” Attorney General Hector Balderas said. “We must hold these criminal offenders accountable for our victims and our community.”   

John Meister pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges of racketeering, money laundering and fraud and now faces up to seven years of incarceration followed by a period of up to five years of probation after incarceration. Judge Alisa Hadfield ordered a presentence report as required by the plea prior to sentencing and will schedule sentencing upon completion of the presentence report.

In addition to any incarceration, Meister will be required to pay back $100,000 in restitution to his victims.

The OAG’s Anti-Money Laundering Unit is an initiative under the Southwest Border Anti-Money Laundering Alliance, specifically the New Mexico Anti-Money Laundering Alliance (NMAMLA). The mission of the Alliance and the Anti-Money Laundering Unit is to investigate and prosecute money laundering crimes associated with profit-motivated criminal activity. The primary mission of the NMAMLA is to investigate money laundering violations and work cohesively with other State and Federal law enforcement agencies throughout the state.