Nhiem Thi Dan “Sam” Nguyen, a 49-year-old naturalized citizen from Arlington, has been sentenced to 40 months in federal prison for her role in a multimillion-dollar money laundering scheme. The case, which involved moving over $33 million in cash, was linked to drug trafficking operations. Nguyen, who acted as a top lieutenant in the operation, also faces one year of supervised release after her prison term, as per the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Nguyen and her accomplices, Vinh and Diana Phan, operated an unlicensed money transmitting business from 2019 to 2021, converting cash into virtual currency to avoid detection while moving money across state lines. Nguyen is required to forfeit $94,649.52 in seized cash and funds from accounts.
The operation also involved members of a Dallas-area drug trafficking organization, who have already been sentenced. The Phans, who ran the unlicensed business, received 10-year prison sentences and were ordered to pay fines and forfeit assets…