BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. – Two Berkeley County men have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Charleston on charges linked to an alleged $74 million money laundering operation involving shell companies, unlicensed check cashing, and payments to undocumented laborers in the construction industry.
Jimmy Soares De Oliveira Carvalho, 46, and Jose Rivelino Serafim Da Silva, 51, face a 17-count indictment accusing them of money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Carvalho is also charged with witness tampering, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Federal prosecutors allege the men created 10 shell companies that posed as construction firms and were used to accept payments from contractors for labor performed largely by undocumented workers. According to the indictment, between January 2017 and the time of their arrests, Carvalho, Da Silva, and others cashed roughly $74 million in checks without a license, charging a 3 to 5 percent fee per transaction.
Carvalho is currently in federal custody and is scheduled to appear for a detention hearing Friday, May 23 at 9 a.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Molly H. Cherry. He faces up to 20 years in prison for counts one through 12 and count 17, and up to 10 years for counts 13 through 16.
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Da Silva, who is also scheduled for a court appearance Friday at 9 a.m., faces a maximum of 20 years for count one and counts nine through 12, and 10 years for counts 13 through 16.
The investigation was led by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amy Bower and Whit Sowards are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a Department of Justice initiative aimed at combating illegal immigration, dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and reducing violent crime. The operation is supported by the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods.
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All charges are accusations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
