Final sentence imposed in multimillion-dollar money laundering conspiracy
Apr 8, 2025 · Sourced to the U.S. Department of Justice
A 49-year-old naturalized citizen from Arlington has been ordered to prison for unlicensed money transmitting and money laundering
Defendants
- Nhiem Thi Dan Nguyen — age 49 · Arlington · sentenced
- Vinh Quang Phan — age 59 · Houston · sentenced
- Diana Le Phan — age 47 · Houston · sentenced
- Branden Denver Richards — age 33 · Little Elm · sentenced
- Douglas Paul Michael Davis — age 31 · Keller · sentenced
- Michael Dean Richards — age 36 · Frisco · sentenced
Charges
Unlicensed money transmitting
Nhiem Thi Dan "Sam" Nguyen· pleaded guilty, sentenced to 40 months in prison
Money laundering
Nhiem Thi Dan "Sam" Nguyen· pleaded guilty, sentenced to 40 months in prison
Money laundering conspiracy / unlicensed money transmitting business
Vinh Quang Phan· sentenced to 10 years in prison
Money laundering conspiracy / unlicensed money transmitting business
Diana Le Phan· sentenced to 10 years in prison
Money laundering conspiracy
Branden Denver Richards· sentenced to five years in prison
Money laundering conspiracy
Douglas Paul Michael Davis· sentenced to two years in prison
Money laundering conspiracy
Michael Dean Richards· sentenced to two years in prison
Financial actions
- forfeiture: $76,848 — Cash seized at the time of her arrest
- forfeiture: $17,801.52 — Seized accounts
- fine: $80,000 — Fines ordered to be paid
- forfeiture — Forfeiture of their home
- forfeiture: $486,000 — Cash and seized accounts
From the announcement
“Money transmitters are regulated specifically to avoid the type of criminal facilitation that took place here. Drug trafficking organizations spread misery, addiction, and violence, but they are fueled by cash. Money laundering schemes allow criminals to convert their ill-gotten gains into spendable currency, and so it's always a win for the public when we can put one of these launderers out of operation.”
“In any scheme, criminals have to get the money distanced from the crime to avoid detection, which is the criminal business Nguyen and her accomplices ran. They were big players in the deception and lies that allowed drug money and other cash to be moved almost undetected. I say 'almost', because we caught them.”
“These conspirators set up various accounts, some even moved cash themselves. When you touch money, cash or virtual currency, you leave a trail for us to follow and that's the expertise of IRS-CI special agents.”
Investigating agencies
Case details
- Prosecuting office
- Southern District of Texas
- Judge
- Keith Ellison, U.S. District Judge
Primary source
Every fact above is drawn from the Department of Justice's own announcement — a public-domain government record.
Read the original DOJ release →This is a research and reference page compiled from public DOJ announcements, not legal advice. Details reflect the government's statements as of its release date and may not capture later developments such as appeals, dismissals, or overturned convictions. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.