Mauricio Chahine, 53, of Jacksonville, was sentenced to four years and two months in federal prison for agreeing to launder over $250,000, U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard ruled. The court also ordered Chahine to forfeit $12,000 in proceeds from his money laundering operation. He pleaded guilty on April 30.

The case began when a confidential source alerted the Drug Enforcement Administration that Chahine was laundering money from the U.S. to other countries. Undercover federal agents then contacted Chahine, who agreed to meet.

In a March 2024 meeting, undercover agents posing as cocaine traffickers asked Chahine for help moving money. Without hesitation, Chahine asked how much money was involved, where it was going, and how quickly it needed to arrive. When told the money came f

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