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posted by martyb on Thursday July 09 2020, @03:24AM   Printer-friendly
from the weeding-out-illegal-transactions dept.

IT pros indicted after arranging credit card payments for weed startup:

On March 9, 2020, a German IT consultant named Ruben Weigand had a layover in Los Angeles as he traveled from Switzerland to Costa Rica. He never made it to his destination because US authorities arrested him as he was changing planes.

The feds say Weigand and a co-conspirator, Hamid "Ray" Akhavan, were the masterminds behind a multimillion-dollar bank-fraud scheme. The supposed fraud? Tricking US banks into processing more than $100 million in marijuana transactions that went contrary to the banks' rules. According to a March indictment, the pair disguised marijuana transactions as purchases of dog toys, carbonated drinks, diving gear, and other products unrelated to cannabis.

Lawyers for the two men say this is ludicrous because the alleged bank fraud had no victims. The customers knew exactly what they were paying for. The banks involved suffered no losses—in fact, they made money from transaction fees.

Moreover, marijuana is legal under state law in California and Oregon, where the transactions occurred. Marijuana remains illegal under federal law, but since 2014, a rule called the Rohrabacher Amendment has prohibited the feds from interfering with state medical marijuana laws. In a recent motion seeking dismissal of the case, Akhavan's lawyers portray the prosecution as an attempted end-run around this restriction.

Extraterritoriality in the Internet Age?


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  • (Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Thursday July 09 2020, @05:10AM (3 children)

    by Grishnakh (2831) on Thursday July 09 2020, @05:10AM (#1018540)

    Honestly, I can see how you might have a brain fart and get the two confused. They're pretty similar men after all, in a lot of ways. But yeah, I think you're right that Pence is even worse. Sessions actually has *some* moral qualms, which caused him to get fired by Trump for not being his lackey when he recused himself. Pence has no such qualms.

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  • (Score: 2) by Arik on Thursday July 09 2020, @05:16AM (2 children)

    by Arik (4543) on Thursday July 09 2020, @05:16AM (#1018542) Journal
    Interchangeable neo-con/neo-lib cutouts.

    But yeah, the one currently in power is worse, in virtue thereof.
    --
    If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
    • (Score: 1) by Sulla on Thursday July 09 2020, @06:34AM (1 child)

      by Sulla (5173) on Thursday July 09 2020, @06:34AM (#1018565) Journal

      On the neocon question I question whether Pence is worse than Sessions. According to Grenell's accounting of the Iran drone situation it was Pence who backed up Trump against everyone else when Trump didn't want to start a war with Iran over the situation. There are few people from either of the two major parties who would have turned down the chance to start a war against Iran.

      --
      Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
      • (Score: 3, Interesting) by Arik on Thursday July 09 2020, @07:44AM

        by Arik (4543) on Thursday July 09 2020, @07:44AM (#1018587) Journal
        "On the neocon question I question whether Pence is worse than Sessions."

        As do I. Which is why you will find my answer was carefully couched.

        The one that actually has power still, he's the worst of the two.
        --
        If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?