A Fayetteville man on March 15 was sentenced to nearly two years in prison after being convicted for smuggling nearly $107,000 through Hartsfield-Jackson Airport.
Stephen Willoughby, 37, was sentenced to federal prison by United States District Judge Charles A. Pannell, Jr. after being convicted at trial of bulk cash smuggling. Willoughby had numerous bundles of cash hidden in his luggage and on his person when he arrived in Atlanta from London.
“This defendant attempted to smuggle excessive amounts of cash through the world’s busiest airport on two separate occasions. The laws requiring international travelers to declare more than $10,000 in cash when entering or leaving the United States serve to prevent money laundering and financing of a variety of illegal conduct,” said U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates. “We will continue to vigorously enforce these laws.”
Willoughby was sentenced to 1 year, 9 months in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release and ordered to perform 100 hours of community service. Willoughby was convicted of the charges on January 12.
Commenting on the case, Yates said Willoughby arrived at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (HJIA) on February 13, 2011 after a direct flight from London, England. Willoughby had imported a large amount of currency on a previous occasion and had failed to properly declare it. As a result, Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) Officers had placed a lookout on him and were watching for his arrival at the international terminal of HJIA. Upon landing, Willoughby filled out a declaration form, presented it to CBP passport inspectors, declared that he was carrying less than $10,000 in currency and told CBP officers that he was carrying a mere $100. A subsequent search of Willoughby’s luggage and a pat-down of his person led to the discovery of $106,802 in U.S. currency, Yates said.
“The common denominator for most transnational criminal activity is bulk cash,” said Brock D. Nicholson, special agent in charge of ICE Homeland Security Investigations in Atlanta. “By targeting and seizing the illicit proceeds being moved into and out of the United States, we are really hitting these criminal organizations where it hurts, on their bottom lines.”
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection.
