Let’s Discuss Dirty Diamonds
A member of the Cartier jewelry lineage has received an eight-year federal prison sentence after admitting to managing an unauthorized cryptocurrency exchange that laundered over $470 million derived from drug trafficking.
Maximilien de Hoop Cartier, who also performs as a singer named “Max Cartier,” was sentenced on Tuesday in a Manhattan federal courtroom. He had pleaded guilty in October to running an unlicensed money transfer operation and conspiring to commit bank fraud.
According to prosecutors, the 58-year-old Cartier raised capital through a network of U.S. shell companies disguised as legitimate software and tech firms, with names like Bourpix Solutions, Softmill LLC, and VC Innovated, ultimately transferring the funds to Colombia. These companies existed solely to facilitate the sending and receiving of international drug money and to convert cryptocurrency derived from drugs into cash.
To mislead banks, Cartier employed forged contracts and invoices to project an image of legitimate business activity. He intentionally broke down transactions to dodge scrutiny from financial institutions.
This operation, called “Cartier Cer” by federal officials, has been ongoing since at least 2018.
In a conversation with an undercover FBI agent, Cartier mentioned that he viewed a hotel in New York City as a second home and regularly interacted with crypto clients, lawyers, and banks.
Not only was Cartier ordered to pay $2,362,160 in forfeiture (the amount tied to his laundering activities), but he also had to forfeit several bank accounts belonging to his shell companies.
In 2021, DEA agents seized nearly $940,000 from one of his accounts after tracking drug money funneled through it during an undercover operation.
Cartier also approached the federal prosecutor’s office in Pennsylvania with fabricated business documents, persuading them to return some funds before the case was fully underway, which led to charges being dropped against him.
A French resident and Argentine citizen, Cartier is now required to pay a hefty forfeiture and give up several bank accounts associated with his shell operations.
U.S. Attorney John Clayton shared that Cartier “utilized his understanding of U.S. and international financial systems to launder drug money and other ill-gotten gains.”
Interestingly, Cartier’s social media highlights his music career, including promoting his latest single “Somos Novios.”
A suspiciously altered image from February 19, 2024, seems to show Cartier in an interview with CNN, but a search online reveals no related results.
