Sentencing is set for Nov. 19, with a maximum penalty of 20 years
Valenzuela was living in Mexico when he was arrested, according to court documents cited by authorities. The 60-year-old pleaded guilty in the United States to participating in a conspiracy that involved laundering drug-sale proceeds.
The Justice Department described Valenzuela as a financial intermediary for an organization that worked with drug traffickers to launder proceeds in Mexico.
Associates collected cash at locations across the United States, authorities said. Valenzuela then provided instructions for transferring the money through cryptocurrency or wire transfers, according to the Justice Department.
Authorities said Valenzuela personally coordinated the laundering of $1,973,076. He received a commission equivalent to a percentage of the money that was successfully laundered, the Justice Department said.
Valenzuela is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 19. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal judge will determine the sentence after considering federal sentencing guidelines and other factors established by law, according to the Justice Department.
The DEA’s Detroit Field Division and the Detroit office of IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case. DEA offices in Mexico and in Houston, Tulsa and Chicago also participated, the Justice Department said.
The prosecution was brought as part of a Homeland Security Task Force initiative. The Justice Department said the initiative brings together multiple federal agencies to investigate and prosecute transnational criminal organizations, cartels, foreign gangs, and human trafficking and smuggling networks operating inside and outside the United States.