Pecos, TX Money Laundering Lawyer

Do you or someone you know need a money laundering lawyer in Pecos, Texas?

Richard Serafini is an experienced money laundering lawyer and is your best chance for the most successful outcome, including keeping you free from prison.

So You’re Being Investigated for Money Laundering—Now What?

That knock on the door was not random. Neither was the sudden freeze on your account or that letter with unfamiliar legal terms sitting on your kitchen counter.

You are probably here because something in your world shifted—and not in a good way.

Maybe a federal agent called. Maybe your bank flagged a transaction. Or, maybe you just got a subpoena. Now, you are spiraling, wondering how your name ended up on the wrong side of a federal investigation.

If you’re under investigation for money laundering in Pecos, TX, I will not sugarcoat the matter—it’s serious. But you are not the first, and you will not be the last. More importantly, you have options.

What Even Is Money Laundering, Really?

Most people picture drug lords, suitcases full of cash, and someone moving dirty money through offshore accounts or shady shell companies. That happens, but the truth is often a lot less Hollywood.

At its core, money laundering involves taking money from illegal activity and making it look like it came from a clean, legal source.

The “illegal activity” part is where things get tricky. Sometimes it is obvious—fraud, narcotics, tax evasion. Other times, it is a few degrees removed: helping someone else move funds, accepting large sums in cash without asking too many questions, or running money through multiple bank accounts.

I have seen clients in Pecos, Texas get pulled into investigations just for unknowingly processing payments for a business partner who turned out to be under investigation. They were not masterminds and often guilty of nothing. They were in the wrong place, trusting the wrong person, and found themselves enmeshed in a money laundering investigation.

How Do You Know You Are Being Investigated?

Sometimes it is apparent. More often the investigation is covert.

Here are a few signs that should raise red flags:

• You receive a subpoena for records—business, banking, or otherwise.
• Law enforcement shows up to “ask a few questions.”
• A bank flags or closes your account for “suspicious activity.”
• An employee, client, or associate gets indicted—and your name is mentioned.

You might even notice odd things, like transactions not going through or a random audit notice popping up. It is often subtle at first. That is part of what makes it so unnerving.

If you’re located in Pecos, TX, this kind of federal activity often flies under the radar at first—but that does not make it any less serious.

Here is something not mentioned often enough: even if you are not charged, you need to act like you are or will be. That early window—before the filing of anything official—is when you have the best shot at influencing the investigation and its determinations.

What Are Investigators Actually Seeking?

Federal investigators are usually trying to prove four key factors:

1. Placement – the initial entry of the “dirty” money into the financial system.
2. Layering – moving that money around to disguise its origin.
3. Integration – making it look clean, like it came from a legitimate source.
4. Knowledge – the actor undertook the financial transactions with knowledge.

Think of it like laundering a shirt with a stain on it. You wash it, dry it, fold it, and put it back in the drawer like it was never dirty. Same idea, but with wire transfers and shell companies.

Agencies like the IRS, FBI, and FinCEN (Financial Crimes Enforcement Network) are involved. In some regions—including Pecos, TX—the U.S. Attorney’s Office and local financial task forces work closely with these agencies.

They are watching patterns. Who’s sending what to where, and why?

Investigators are not simply following receipts. They are seeking proof of knowledge and intent. That means, if you did not intend to launder money, you could be under investigation because the transactions look suspicious. That is a problem, requiring experienced representation.

The Classic Mistakes People Make

When people get scared, they either freeze or flail. Here are some of the biggest traps I see folks falling into:

• Talking too much – Whether it is to an agent or a friend, your words can come back to bite you. Silence is not guilt—it is a right and often the wisest course.
• Destroying evidence – Deleting files, shredding documents, wiping phones? That’s not cleaning up—it’s obstruction. Big difference. There are myriad arguments regarding knowledge and intent surrounding transactions. There are very few regarding destruction of documents after receipt of a subpoena.
• Assuming it’ll “go away” – It will not. Federal cases move slowly. But they do move.

Because you do not hear anything for a while after contact from the government, does not mean that the investigation has closed.  It often takes two or more years for an investigation to come to fruition.  The lull in the investigation does not indicate safety. It may be the eye of the storm.

If you’re in Pecos, TX, it is even more important to tread carefully. Federal prosecutors and investigators and some of their state counterparts aggressively investigate and prosecute white-collar crime.

What Should You Do at the First Sign of an Investigation

Get a lawyer. An experienced one. You need someone who knows this world—who has tried these cases in courtrooms, negotiated with the prosecutors bringing them, and understands the nuances.

Second: Start documenting everything. Conversations. Transactions. Emails. Even your memory of events. These details fade under stress.

Third: Stop guessing. Do not assume that what looks harmless to you looks harmless to the investigators. Remember that investigators are trained to identify leads that could prove illegal behavior.

And finally: Be patient—but do not be passive. You want to stay calm, but you also need to be strategic.

If you’re facing this in Pecos, TX, you are facing a legal landscape that has its own tempo and tone. Local enforcement patterns matter. So does choosing counsel who understands the environment.

Why Work With Me?

I am Richard Serafini. I’ve worked these cases from both sides of the courtroom—as a defense lawyer and a federal prosecutor. I know how the system thinks, how it moves, and where the pressure points are.

When you are being investigated for money laundering, it is not just about legal strategy—it is about understanding the process. You must know when to push, when to negotiate, and when silence is the best strategy.

Here’s what I bring to your representation:

• Decades of courtroom experience
• Direct insight into how federal agencies build cases
• A no-nonsense, discrete approach focused on results—not drama

I work with clients across the country—including those right here in the Pecos, TX area. I understand the importance of local context. Every jurisdiction has its own flavor, its own challenges.

I do not only help clients fight charges. I help them navigate the silence before charges even land. That period may be the most important time in the entire investigation.

This Moment Does Not Define You

An investigation feels overwhelming. You might feel like panicking, feeling like your whole life is being turned upside down. You may feel like you are in shock, looking at something that cannot be happening. Whatever you are feeling is understandable.

At the inception of an investigation, you have the opportunity to exert some influence on its course. Getting experience legal help to build a strategy is the best means of influencing the investigation’s course and findings.

I am a former federal prosecutor with years of experience as a senior prosecutor at the United States Department of Justice. While there, I focused on fraud and organized crime cases, serving in both the Fraud Section and as a Strike Force attorney in the Organized Crime and Racketeering Section at Main Justice in Washington, DC.

In these roles, I represented the United States in some of the largest and most complex cases in federal courts nationwide. Before joining the DOJ, I worked as a supervisor in the Enforcement Division of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in its New York office.

Since leaving government service, I have spent decades representing persons accused of illegal activity in federal and state proceedings.

If you are in or around Pecos, TX and wish to talk confidentially, I am available.  Please contact me or reach out directly. 

The sooner you do, the more options you will have.

We Proudly Defend Money Laundering Cases All Over the U.S., Including the Great State of Texas

And The Following Zip codes Within ThePecos Area

79772, 79773.