A 'money laundering' couple were caught receiving a bag filled with £150,000 in cash on a street corner in Tameside. Police spotted Hua Chen passing the carrier bag full of money to Jie Chen and Mei Huang in Ashton-under-Lyne.
When officers followed Hua Chen home, they found a further £220,000 on his bedroom floor. At Manchester Crown Court today (Friday), a judge heard the trio were part of a 'sophisticated' money laundering scheme.
Recorder Ciaran Rankin jailed Hua Chen, 40, and Jie Chen, 39, for three years and two years respectively. However, Mei Huang, 34, was spared jail due to what the judge described as her 'exceptional circumstances'.
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The court heard that the defendants had arranged to meet on a street corner near to Hua Chen's home back in December 2019. During the rendezvous, Hua Chen handed £150,000 in cash over to Jie Chen.
But as Hua Chen returned home, officers followed him and found a further £220,000 on his bedroom floor. After leaving the meeting, Jie Chen and his wife jumped in a taxi to Manchester city centre.
The vehicle was stopped by HMRC officers, who found the bag at Jie Chen's feet. Officers also seized keys to an apartment in Whitworth Street West where they discovered a cash counting machine under the bed, as well as elastic bands, bank cash wraps and a small number of torn banknotes.
In total, £370,000 cash was seized. Hua Chen's role in the operation was as a 'go-between' for the money while Jie Chen and Mei Huang were 'couriers entrusted to move the money on to the ultimate destination', the court heard.
Ben Lawrence, prosecuting, described the transactions as 'sophisticated' and said they involved 'significant planning'. James Doyle, defending Hua Chen, argued that his client had been 'caught up' in the operation and was 'not a lead player'. He told the court that the defendant worked as a chef in London at the time of the offence.
Mark Friend, mitigating on behalf of Jie Chen, described his client as a man of 'hitherto good character' who was 'well-regarded in his local community'. He claimed that Mr Chen was part of a 'wider enterprise' and called on the judge to 'temper' any sentence.
Ms Huang's involvement in the operation was 'driven' by the fact she was living in the UK illegally so was unable to work and was relying on benefits at the time, the court heard.
Jie Chen, of Kenninghall Road, Wythenshawe, was jailed for two years after pleading guilty to possessing criminal property.
Hua Chen, of Hurst Brook Close, Ashton-under-Lyne, was jailed for three years after being convicted of two counts of possessing criminal property.
Mei Huang, also of Kenninghall Road, Wythenshawe, was handed a two-year prison sentence suspended for 12 months. She was also made the subject of a three-month electronic curfew.
Sentencing the trio, Recorder Ciaran Rankin said that while Hua Chen was 'clearly proximate to the source of the money', each of the defendants was a 'well-trusted employee who played a significant role' in the operation.
Jailing Hua Chen, Recorder Rankin described him as a 'thoroughly dishonest man'. He added: "You lied at every turn, sometimes in the most ridiculous ways. The jury quite rather quite rightly saw through those ridiculous lies."
Sentencing Ms Huang, the judge told her: "You have a number of young children and the consequence of sending you to prison today would, in my mind, have a disproportionate effect upon them.
"It goes without saying that this is a serious offence and one that crosses the custody threshold. It's only because of the exceptional circumstances you are in and as an act of mercy that I can suspend the sentence I impose upon you."
Speaking after the hearing, Sandra Smith, Assistant Director of HMRC's Fraud Investigation Service, said: “Money laundering is not a victimless crime. Laundered cash funds other serious crimes that bring harm and misery to communities.
“HMRC will investigate anyone suspected of being involved in money laundering and after conviction we’ll pursue the money they owe. We encourage anyone with information about tax fraud or money laundering to report it online by searching ‘Report Fraud HMRC’ on GOV.UK and report it using the online form.”
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