JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville man has been sentenced to over four years in federal prison after pleading guilty to charges stemming from engaging in a money laundering scheme of more than $250,000.

Court documents from the Department of Justice say that the man, Mauricio Chahine, 53, had been reported to the Drug Enforcement Administration as a “money launderer with the ability to launder funds from the United States to other countries” by a confidential source.

Upon receiving the tip, the DOJ states that undercover agents had contacted Chahine, asking to meet, to which he agreed. 

In March 2024, Chahine had met with a pair of agents disguised as cocaine traffickers. After being told that they needed help moving money, he told the agents he “needed to know how much money, where it was going, and how fast they needed it at the destination,” seemingly without hesitation.

The undercover agents had asked Chahine if they were aware of what they did, referring to selling cocaine, to which the DOJ said that he did not care. 

The DOJ claims that Chahine told the undercover agents that he had been laundering money since 1999, as well as his “abilities” to launder money in different countries.

Over the course of multiple transactions, court documents say that Chahine accepted $217,975 in cash and $50,000 in fake currency. In some instances, Chahine had asked the undercover agents with fake invoices in to appear as engaging in legitimate business.

Chahine has been in custody since Nov. 12, 2024, where the DOJ said he was arrested and detained as a flight risk.

“Drug traffickers often rely on others to launder the profits from their drug running,” said Special Agent in Charge Ronald Loecker, IRS Criminal Investigation Tampa Field Office. “IRS Criminal Investigation will continue to devote our financial expertise to identify, investigate and bring to justice those who engage in sophisticated money laundering techniques that facilitate the distribution of narcotics and the concealment of proceeds.”

Mauricio Chahine has been sentenced to four years and two months in federal prison, as well as being ordered to forfeit $12,000 in proceeds.