A 23-year-old Colombian national formerly of Hackensack and his partner, a Hackensack resident, have pleaded guilty in federal court to operating unlicensed money transmitting businesses that moved over $62 million from the United States to Colombia between 2021 and 2025.
Senior Counsel Philip Lamparello announced that Nicholas Ortega Munoz and Isabella Valderrama Ospina submitted their pleas before Susan D. Wigenton in the United States District Court in Newark.
Ortega Munoz pleaded guilty to conspiring to operate and running an unlicensed money transmission business. Valderrama Ospina pled guilty to running and assisting in the operation of an unlicensed money transmission enterprise.
According to court documents and testimony, the couple and others formed two firms, BLK Graphics Group and Technology SD, to serve as shell entities for the movement of funds offshore. Prosecutors said that the enterprises were never properly registered as money transmission businesses with the US Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), as required under federal law.
Authorities described the companies as “cash pipelines” that funneled money from U.S. sources to Colombian accounts. Between April 2021 and June 2025, the entities transferred more than $62 million into Colombian accounts.
The scheme allegedly used a network of bank accounts across numerous financial institutions. Funds were transferred into those accounts from a variety of sources, including pornographic websites. Prosecutors offered an example in which online shoppers purchased digital “tokens” to pay adult entertainers for virtual content. These tokens were turned into cash withdrawals from the platforms and put in BLK and Technology SD accounts. The cash was swiftly transferred to Colombian shell firms.
Federal law requires money transmitters to register with FinCEN, a US Treasury office in charge of protecting the financial system from unlawful conduct, including money laundering. Registration allows for regulatory control and law enforcement monitoring.
Each accusation — conspiracy to conduct an unauthorized money transferring company and operating or aiding and abetting such a business — carries a maximum five-year prison sentence. The charges additionally include a maximum fine of $250,000, twice the gross pecuniary gain generated from the offense, or twice the gross pecuniary loss suffered by any victims.
Ortega Munoz is due to be sentenced on June 23, 2026. Valderrama Ospina’s sentencing is scheduled for June 25, 2026.
Lamparello thanked special agents from the FBI’s Newark Field Office, led by Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy, and detectives from the United States Attorney’s Office for leading the investigation that resulted in the guilty pleas.
Assistant US Attorney Robert L. Toll of the US Attorney’s Office’s Health Care Fraud & Opioids Enforcement Unit in Newark represents the government.
The case highlights federal authorities’ continuous efforts to implement financial registration laws and monitor cross-border monetary transfers that originate in New Jersey and elsewhere in the United States.
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