Dutch woman sentenced in money laundering case in Latham

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10)-- A Dutch woman was sentenced Thursday to 2 years and nine months in prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering. Xiomara Christian, 37, previously pleaded guilty to her charges in October.

As part of the plea, Christian admitted that from May 2017 to November 2018, she and a co-conspirator laundered drug proceeds from Europe and Australia through bank accounts in Latham. According to the United States Department of Justice, Christian intended to hide the true source of the proceeds and make it look like the money was legally obtained through business transactions.

The DOJ said on October 4, 2018, she delivered over $114,000 in drug money to an undercover agent in The Netherlands. Christian reportedly had the money wired through a bank account in Latham and sent to bank accounts in Panama.

In addition to her prison sentence, she was ordered to enter a money judgment of $172,659. She also faces removal from the United States.

The Case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant United States Attorney Douglas Collyer prosecuted the case.