US- based Telugu convicted in money laundering scam
Ravinder Reddy Gudipati of Karimnagar, who settled almost four decades ago in the US and played a key role in circulating drug mafia money, was convicted by a federal jury in Laredo, Texas, in a multi- million dollar money laundering scam along with five others. Money derived from the sale of drugs in the US were laundered through businesses in Laredo in order to return it to Mexican drug dealers.
Ravinder Reddy is said to be a close relative of a former TRS minister who lost in the recent state election. A source said the Ravinder Reddy and wife Aruna Gudipati had invested in the real estate business owned by the TRS leader. Some of the
investments are in Hyderabad. The family stayed in Nutley, New Jersey.
Ravinder Reddy and two other Indian- Americans were among six people convicted for their role in the scheme, the US justice department said. Ravinder Reddy, 61; Harsh Jaggi, 54 and Neeru Jaggi, 51, all from Laredo, Texas, were convicted of a money- laundering conspiracy following a fiveweek jury trial. Along with the Indian- American trio, Adrian Arciniega-Hernandez, 36, of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico; Adriana Alejandra Galvan-Constantini, 36 and Luis Montes- Patino, 57, both from Irving, Texas, were convicted, Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski of the justice department’s criminal division said.
The prosecution charged Ravinder Reddy, owner of a chain of perfume stores called NYSA Impex LLC, and Harsh and Neeru Jaggi, owners of El Reino International Inc, with acceptance of loose bulk- cash, even after being told it was drug money. According to the evidence presented at the trial, from 2011 through 2013, Galvan- Constantini, Montes- Patino and other co- conspirators helped to move millions of dollars derived from the sale of drugs throughout the US.