Federal Criminal Defense Attorney Charged With Money Laundering in Los Angeles (PC 186.10)

An alleged gang member turned lawyer may have fallen back in with his prior criminal associates.  Issac E. Guillen was sentenced by U.S. Court Judge Dean D. Pregerson after Guillen pled guilty to a dozen counts of racketeering and money laundering in Los Angeles in association with members of the Colombia Lil’ Cycos subset of Los Angeles’ notorious 18th Street Gang.

Guillen was part of a gang enforcement indictment filed in the Central District that included a total of 43 defendants, 37 of whom have either been convicted or have admitted involvement in an array of crimes.

Prosecutors claim that Guillen fell back in with gang members through his work as a criminal defense lawyer and ended up in contact with Martinez, a member of the Mexican Mafia. Guillen began to pass messages between Martinez and the outside world. Soon he was overseeing much of the Cycos money laundering operations.

Because he became a government witness in the case, Guillen’s sentence was considerably lighter than it could have been, according to Nili T. Moghaddam, one of two assistant U.S. attorneys prosecuting the matter. “He began cooperating with the government within hours of his arrest after Mexican Mafia member Francisco “Puppet” Martinez ordered that he be killed,” Moghaddam said.

As a result, prosecutors asked for only the seven year sentence Guillen received, rather than one that could have reached into the triple digits.

Guillen’s lawyer, Curtis V. Leftwich, said “it was devastating to observe his client’s fall adding that Mr. Guillen is very smart, very bright and very passionate. It’s just a sad situation.”

If you or a loved one is accused of money laundering in Los Angeles contact the California criminal defense attorneys at Wallin and Klarich. Wallin and Klarich has many years of experience successfully defending clients for over 40 years. We will work to aggressively help you and to ensure that your rights are protected. The attorneys at Wallin & Klarich can be reached by phone at 888-749-0034. We have offices in Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Ventura and Orange County. We will be there when you call.