ALIASES: Allan Garcia
DOB: December 22, 1984
NATIONALITY: Costa Rica
CITIZENSHIP: Costa Rica
HEIGHT: 5’10”
WEIGHT: 180 lbs.
HAIR COLOR: Black
EYE COLOR: Brown
U.S. SECRET SERVICE FIELD OFFICE: New York
CASE SUMMARY
On May 28, 2013, the Southern District of New York unsealed charges against Liberty Reserve, a company that allegedly operated one of the world’s most widely used digital currency services, and seven of its principals and employees with money laundering and operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. Liberty Reserve is alleged to have had more than one million users worldwide, including more than 200,000 users in the United States, who conducted approximately 55 million transactions, virtually all of which were illegal, and laundered more than $6 billion in suspected proceeds of crimes.
The indictment in this matter alleges that Liberty Reserve operated as a criminal bank payment processor designed to help users conduct illegal transactions anonymously and launder the proceeds of their crimes. It emerged as one of the principal money transfer agents used by cybercriminals around the world to distribute, store, and launder illicit proceeds. The company grew into a financial hub of the cybercrime world, facilitating a broad range of online criminal activity, including credit card fraud, identity theft, investment fraud, computer hacking, child exploitation, and narcotics trafficking.
Allan Esteban Hidalgo Jimenez managed the daily operations of Liberty Reserve starting in approximately 2010. He is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum term of 20 years in prison, one count of conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business, which carries a maximum term of five years in prison, and operation of an unlicensed money transmitting business, which carries a maximum term of five years in prison.
The prosecution is being handled by the U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
Relevant Links
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
If you have information regarding this individual, please contact the U.S. Secret Service at MostWanted@usss.dhs.gov.