A federal indictment has been returned against two Utah men, accused of providing material support to a designated terrorist group, as well as money laundering and smuggling crude oil through their Texas-based business. The case is the latest example of a growing trend in which U.S. businesses are allegedly collaborating with Mexican cartels.
According to authorities, Maxwell Sterling Jensen, 25, of Draper, Utah, and James Lael Jensen, 68, of Sandy, Utah, operated Arroyo Terminals, a company based in Rio Hondo, Texas. The indictment alleges that the Jensen father-son duo conspired to provide U.S. currency to the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), which was designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. Secretary of State earlier this year.
The indictment also accuses the Jensens of conspiring to conduct financial transactions to conceal proceeds from illegally smuggled crude oil and aiding the fraudulent entry of thousands of shipments of oil. Authorities have seized four tank barges with crude oil, tanker trucks, and other property as part of the investigation.
“This case highlights the often-hidden relationships between alleged unscrupulous U.S. businesses and terrorist organizations,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations San Antonio Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee. “We will continue to work tirelessly to identify and hold accountable those who seek to profit from these illicit activities.”
The investigation, dubbed “Operation Liquid Death,” was a collaborative effort between multiple federal and state agencies, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI, and IRS Criminal Investigation.
If convicted, the Jensens face up to 20 years in prison for the main charges, as well as additional smuggling charges that carry potential sentences of five to 10 years. The government is also seeking a $300 million money judgment upon conviction.
Source: Fox News
