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Vancouver woman sentenced in money-laundering scheme

Feds say she sold cars to drug dealers

The Columbian
Published: March 8, 2011, 12:00am

A Vancouver woman was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court in Portland to three years’ probation, including six months’ home detention, for a money laundering scheme involving an automobile dealership.

Karla Gaitan, 38, pleaded guilty March 2, 2010, to a single count of money laundering.

The investigation began in August 2008, when investigators suspected Gaitan and her business, Kaind Auto Sales, were involved with a number of suspected drug dealers in the Portland area.

An inventory showed that Gaitan had purchased a high number of cars at auto auction — 2,072 cars for more than $4 million between 2005 and 2008 — but had very little inventory.

“This led investigators to suspect that the buyers were laundering illegal money,” according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

In August 2008, undercover IRS agents, posing as drug dealers, gave Gaitan $15,000 in cash for a SUV so that a concealed compartment could be built into it to transport money and drugs.

Gaitan later told them to not worry about the IRS reporting requirement for sales involving $10,000 or more in cash, prosecutors said.

In June 2009, after agents executed a search warrant, they arrested Gaitan. She admitted that she thought the agents were drug dealers.

“My message to those who launder drug money is simple,” said Marcus Williams, the IRS Special Agent in charge of the Pacific Northwest: “We’re coming for you. The next knock on your door could easily be the IRS and the DEA.”

The investigation was conducted by the Internal Revenue Service — Criminal Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ethan D. Knight.

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