MINNEAPOLIS — A federal grand jury indicted a Minneapolis man accused of allegedly conspiring to launder at least $750,000 in drug proceeds for one of Mexico’s most powerful cartels, the Justice Department announced Tuesday.
Christopher A. Bravo Marin, 46, a Mexican national, was indicted Aug. 20 in the District of Minnesota on a charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering on behalf of the Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación, or CJNG.
Homeland Security Investigations agents arrested Bravo Marin on Monday. He made his initial appearance Tuesday before a federal magistrate judge in Minneapolis.
An indictment is an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless proved guilty in court.
According to the indictment, Bravo Marin used his job at a Minnesota money-transfer business to help a CJNG drug cell move money to cartel leaders in Mexico from February 2023 through February 2026.
Prosecutors allege he kept each transfer below the company’s $1,000 identification threshold, invented Hispanic names for the senders and directed the money to straw recipients supplied by cartel members. He then allegedly forged signatures on transaction receipts and texted screenshots to his co-conspirators so the money could be collected in Mexico.
Bravo Marin was paid $40 to $50 for each transfer, according to the indictment. He is charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
Quick Facts
- Defendant: Christopher A. Bravo Marin
- Age: 46
- Residence: Minneapolis
- Citizenship: Mexican national
- Charge: Conspiracy to commit money laundering
- Amount: At least $750,000
- Alleged beneficiary: Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación
- Indictment returned: Aug. 20, 2026
- Arrested: Aug. 24, 2026
- Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota
- Investigating agency: Homeland Security Investigations
- Case status: The allegations have not been proved in court