A Canadian citizen, Houssam El-Atat, age 44, has pleaded guilty to charges of money laundering conspiracy in the United States. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo in Buffalo, New York. El-Atat had been extradited from Spain to face the charges and entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo. He now faces a potential maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles M. Kruly described the events leading up to the charge. In February 2021, an individual from Buffalo (referred to as Victim 1) was negotiating with a marine sales company about buying a boat via email correspondence that included details on specifications and pricing. In March 2021, Victim 1 received wiring instructions from what he believed was the vendor’s legitimate email account and sent $295,373.75 through Bank of America.
It later became clear that Vendor 1 never received these funds; instead, Victim 1’s email account had been compromised and fraudulent payment instructions were given.
The FBI’s investigation traced the wired funds to an account owned by someone identified as A.Z., who said he thought he was receiving repayment for a debt owed to his late father by another individual. At this person’s request, A.Z. transferred $180,200 of those funds to an account at La Caisse Centrale Desjardins Bank in Canada. The money then moved quickly through several apparent shell companies before reaching El-Atat.
U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo stated: “The plea is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the supervision of Special Agent-in-Charge Philip Tejera. Additional assistance was provided by the Sûreté du Québec Provincial Police.”
Sentencing for El-Atat is set for April 29, 2026, before Judge Vilardo.
