A Walpole man was convicted on January 8th by a federal jury in Boston for his role in money laundering and a conspiracy to smuggle gold, platinum, and other precious metals into the United States from Colombia, announced U.S. Attorney Leah Foley and Michael Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England, in a statement released from Boston on January 9th.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, 46-year-old Thomas Cataloni of Walpole and his co-conspirators sent thousands of dollars to Colombian bank accounts to pay for the smuggling of gold and platinum into the United States without being declared at U.S. Customs. The precious metals were melted and formed to look like crude, unfinished jewelry in the form of chains, keychains, and purse straps, and worn by individuals on their plane travels from Columbia into the United States.
Mr. Cataloni, who was charged in November 2022, has been convicted this January of one count of money laundering conspiracy, one count of conspiracy to smuggle goods into the United States, and one count of international money laundering. His two co-conspirators had already pleaded guilty and will be sentenced later this year.
Mr. Cataloni faces a possible prison sentence of up to 20 years for money laundering and up to three years of supervised release and a fine, in whichever is the greater amount - $500,000 or twice the amount involved. For the charge of conspiracy related to the smuggling, he faces up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
In making the announcement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office acknowledged the assistance of the Canton and Walpole Police Departments, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, and Customs & Border Protection.
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The cost of $27,000 could have been avoided if the tax payers were notified about the idea of taking the WLT to court and it was discussed at a regular town meeting. Especially when a town takes the unusual step of taking its own land trust to court.
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