Court Upholds Money Laundering Convictions
WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court made it easier Tuesday for prosecutors to win money laundering convictions, ruling unanimously in a large religious scam case that the government does not have to prove "overt acts" by defendants.
Justices upheld the convictions of two people accused of pocketing more than $1.2 million as part of a nationwide religious investment scheme.
David Whitfield and Haywood "Don" Hall were convicted in Florida of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
They were leaders of the Greater Ministries International Church, which told people during roadshow meetings that God would double their money.
The church, which targeted Mennonite, Amish and Christian fundamentalist communities nationwide, took in hundreds of millions of dollars from 1996-99 and donors got little if any money back. Other church leaders were convicted of various charges.
The Supreme Court used appeals by Whitfield and Hall to clarify a matter that has divided lower courts, the proof required in money laundering conspiracy cases.
Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, writing for the court, said that because the federal law does not "expressly make the commission of an overt act an element of the conspiracy offense, the government need not prove an overt act to obtain a conviction."
The cases are Whitfield v. United States, 03-1293, and Hall v. United States, 03-1294.
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Posted by Editor at January 12, 2005 11:34 PM
