New York Woman Sentenced for Laundering Drug Trafficking Funds

On Monday, the Department of Justice sentenced a woman from New York to two years in prison for allegedly laundering over $20 million related to drug trafficking. The DOJ referred to her actions as part of a “Chinese money laundering scheme.”

According to the DOJ, Louis Fan Yew, 40, was involved in receiving “large amounts of cash” from individuals related to laundering drug proceeds. Some of this money reportedly originated from the sale of cocaine and heroin by Mexican drug cartels. In August 2025, she pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit concealed money laundering.

Yew, who worked as an accountant for an airline ticket clearing company in Flushing, Queens, is said to have used her employer’s bank account to facilitate the laundering. The funds were reportedly funneled “through commercial transactions ostensibly for the purpose of purchasing airline tickets.” It appears that Yew and her co-conspirators transferred these funds to accounts controlled by others in both the United States and China.

The DOJ emphasized that the Money Laundering, Narcotics, and Forfeiture Division’s mission is to eradicate crime proceeds, dismantle drug cartels, and protect America’s financial system. They pursue criminal prosecutions and asset recovery actions involving financial intermediaries and institutions that violate laws related to money laundering and sanctions.

The Justice Department did not provide immediate comments following a request for additional information.