Arizona Man Pleads Guilty To Moving Money And Marijuana Between Ohio, Arizona And Mexico
2013-07-30 · Press release
Public Affairs Officer
COLUMBUS – Mohamed Keisar, 36, of Phoenix, Arizona, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana and to one count of unlawfully operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. Keisar faces a minimum mandatory sentence of five years in prison and up to 40 years in prison and a fine of up to $5 million.
Carter M. Stewart, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Kathy A. Enstrom, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS), Robin Shoemaker, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, William Hayes, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, Columbus Division of Police Chief Kim Jacobs announced the guilty plea entered before U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr.
According to court documents, a joint investigation determined that between January 2009 and December 2012, Keisar was involved in the transportation, sale, and distribution of marijuana in the Southern District of Ohio. Specifically, the investigation found that Keisar, a truck driver, transported marijuana from California and Arizona, to Columbus, Ohio via semi-tractor trailer. The marijuana, which would be co-mingled with legitimate loads, would then be off-loaded to Keisar’s co-conspirators.
Keisar knowingly operated an unlicensed money transmitting business by physically transporting the money that was derived from the sale of marijuana in Columbus, Ohio back to California and Arizona.
On November 27, 2012 investigators, while conducting surveillance, observed a subject provide Keisar with $939,220 in U.S. Currency that had been derived from the sale of marijuana in Columbus, Ohio. Keisar was to transport the U.S. currency in his semi-tractor trailer from Columbus, Ohio to San Diego, CA and to deliver the funds to the source of supply. IRS agents determined that Keisar has never registered and/or been licensed to operate a money transmitting business by the Department of Treasury.
As part of the plea agreement, Keisar agreed to forfeit $1,070,513.83 in U.S. currency either seized from Keisar’s vehicle or from a co-conspirator on several dates between February 2012 and November 2012
Stewart commended the cooperative investigation conducted by the agents and officers of IRS, ATF, HSI, and the Columbus Division of Police. Stewart also commended Assistant U.S. Attorney David DeVillers who is representing the United States.
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- https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdoh/pr/arizona-man-pleads-guilty-moving-money-and-marijuana-between-ohio-arizona-and-mexico
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| participant_id | name | role | title | organization | location | age | nationality | status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2688 | Mohamed Keisar | defendant | Arizona | 36 | pleaded guilty | |||
| 2689 | Carter M. Stewart | prosecutor | U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney's Office | Ohio | |||
| 2690 | Kathy A. Enstrom | investigator | Acting Special Agent in Charge | Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS) | Ohio | |||
| 2691 | Robin Shoemaker | investigator | Special Agent in Charge | Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) | Ohio | |||
| 2692 | William Hayes | investigator | Acting Special Agent in Charge | Homeland Security Investigations | Ohio | |||
| 2693 | Kim Jacobs | law enforcement | Chief | Columbus Division of Police | Ohio | |||
| 2694 | Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. | judge | U.S. District Judge | U.S. District Court | Ohio | |||
| 2695 | David DeVillers | prosecutor | Assistant U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney's Office | Ohio |
| agency_id | agency_name | abbreviation | role | office_location | agents_mentioned | contribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1731 | Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation | IRS | investigation | Kathy A. Enstrom | Investigated Keisar's financial activities, including unlicensed money transmission | |
| 1732 | Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms | ATF | investigation | Robin Shoemaker | Participated in the joint investigation of marijuana distribution | |
| 1733 | Homeland Security Investigations | HSI | investigation | William Hayes | Contributed to the multi-agency investigation | |
| 1734 | Columbus Division of Police | investigation | Columbus, Ohio | Kim Jacobs | Assisted in surveillance and announced the guilty plea | |
| 1735 | U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Ohio | prosecution | Southern District of Ohio | Carter M. Stewart | Prosecuted the case and oversaw legal proceedings |
| charge_id | charge_description | statute | severity | max_penalty | fine_amount | defendant | status | participant_id | cl_docket_id | count_num | is_1960 | verified_1960 | source | updated_at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1405 | conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana | Mohamed Keisar | pleaded guilty | 0 | enrichment | |||||||||
| 1406 | unlawfully operating an unlicensed money transmitting business | Mohamed Keisar | pleaded guilty | 1 | enrichment | 2026-09-16T19:46:00+00:00 | ||||||||
| 3581 | operating an unlicensed money transmitting business | 1 | press | 2026-09-16T19:46:00+00:00 | ||||||||||
| 3582 | operated an unlicensed money transmitting business by physically transporting the money that was derived from the sale of | 1 | press | 2026-09-16T19:46:00+00:00 | ||||||||||
| 3583 | unlicensed money transmitting business | 1 | press | 2026-09-16T19:46:00+00:00 | ||||||||||
| 3584 | unlicensed money transmitting business by physically transporting the money th | 1 | press | 2026-09-16T19:46:00+00:00 |
| fin_id | action_type | amount | currency | description | asset_type | defendant | status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1409 | forfeiture | $1,070,513.83 | USD | U.S. currency seized from Keisar’s vehicle or from a co-conspirator | cash | Mohamed Keisar | ordered |
| 1410 | seizure | $939,220 | USD | U.S. currency derived from the sale of marijuana | cash | Mohamed Keisar | completed |
| victim_id | victim_type | description | number_affected | loss_amount | geographic_scope | vulnerability_factors | impact_description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 720 | financial institution | Department of Treasury | Keisar operated an unlicensed money transmitting business |
| quote_id | quote_text | speaker_name | speaker_title | speaker_organization | quote_type | context | significance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2956 | Keisar faces a minimum mandatory sentence of five years in prison and up to 40 years in prison and a fine of up to $5 million. | statement | Sentencing details for Mohamed Keisar | Outlines the potential legal consequences for Keisar. |
| theme_id | theme_name | description | significance | related_statutes | geographic_scope | temporal_aspects | stakeholders |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Drug Trafficking/Marijuana Distribution | Transportation and distribution of marijuana from California, Arizona, and Mexico to Columbus, Ohio via semi-tractor trailers between 2009 and 2012, with quantities exceeding 100 kilograms. | Central to the conspiracy charges, justifying severe penalties including a minimum 5-year prison term and up to $5 million in fines. | 21 U.S.C. § 846 | International | Historical trend (2009–2012) | Law enforcement agencies (IRS, ATF, HSI, Columbus Police), Defendant, Co-conspirators |
| 1958 | Unlicensed Money Transmitting Business | Operating an unlicensed business to transport drug proceeds from Ohio to California and Arizona, including a $939,220 seizure in 2012. | Facilitated drug trafficking profits, leading to additional charges under federal statutes. | 18 U.S.C. § 1960 | Interstate | Recent development (2012) | IRS, Defendant, Financial institutions (indirectly) |
| 1959 | Multi-Agency Law Enforcement Cooperation | Joint investigation by IRS, ATF, HSI, and Columbus Police to dismantle the drug and money laundering network. | Critical to the case's success, highlighted by the U.S. Attorney's office. | National/Interstate | Ongoing during the investigation (2009–2012) | IRS, ATF, HSI, Columbus Division of Police, U.S. Attorney's Office | |
| 1960 | Asset Forfeiture | Agreement to forfeit $1,070,513.83 in seized currency from the defendant and co-conspirators between 2012. | Disrupts criminal finances and serves as punitive measure. | National/Interstate | Recent (2012) | Law enforcement, Defendant |
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