{"id":14084,"date":"2015-07-30T12:00:19","date_gmt":"2015-07-30T19:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=14084"},"modified":"2015-07-30T12:02:03","modified_gmt":"2015-07-30T19:02:03","slug":"businessman-wanted-to-open-ice-nightclub-to-launder-drug-money","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=14084","title":{"rendered":"Businessman Wanted To Open “Ice Nightclub” to Launder Drug Money"},"content":{"rendered":"

SEATTLE<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
\"Rifles<\/a>
Rifles pictured by federal agents investigating Steven Asir Thomas.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Businessman Steven Asir Thomas<\/strong> owned various nightclubs in the Seattle area and wanted to open a new one called “Ice Nightclub” to be a cover for laundering drug money, according to authorities.<\/p>\n

That’s what the 40-year-old businessman told a cop and an undercover agent, officials said.<\/p>\n

Officials said Thomas claimed that the club would generate cash for additional drug purchases, and in October 2013, he worked to set up a drug deal trading methamphetamine for assault rifles.<\/p>\n

Tuesday,\u00a0U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour<\/strong> sentenced Thomas to 12 years in prison, adding that the sentence was driven by the amount of drugs involved and Thomas\u2019 intent to have an attorney assaulted because of a business dispute involving his nightclub.<\/p>\n

\u201cIndividuals who create businesses that launder profits for drug trafficking organizations should understand that they will actually be the ones paying the price when they forfeit their freedom and the proceeds of their criminal acts,\u201d said Brad Bench, Special Agent in Charge of ICE Homeland Security Investigations in Seattle.\u00a0<\/strong> \u201cThe sentencing of this defendant sends a clear message that law enforcement will not tolerate the actions of those who use the cover of legitimate business to conceal cash obtained from\u00a0drug trafficking and associated acts of violence in order to bring dangerous narcotics into our communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

To his supporters, Thomas is a \u201cgood man,\u201d a businessman who was duped by an informant with a vendetta. Raised by missionary parents in Bellevue, Thomas graduated from the University of Washington before enrolling in the Army\u00a0Re\"Justiceserves, according to a story in the Seattle Pi.com<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Thomas was trying hard to start and operate a legitimate nightclub, not a \u2018front\u2019 for illegal activities,\u201d defense attorney Scott Engelhard said in court papers, according to Seattle Pi.com.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Thomas was a legitimate\u00a0\"ICE\"business person who despite his good faith efforts ran into financial difficulties with his new club and gave into the temptation to illegally finance his\u00a0project.\u201d<\/p>\n

On three other occasions, authorities said law enforcement seized drugs that were either delivered or ordered by Thomas.<\/p>\n

In October 2013, Thomas picked up a pound of methamphetamine from a source and then \u201csold\u201d it to an undercover agent in Portland, Oregon. \u00a0About a week later, another two pound load of methamphetamine was seized on a bus headed to Portland \u2013 the courier was bringing it to Thomas, officials said.<\/p>\n

Finally, in March 2014, officials said Thomas arranged another one pound sale in Portland of highly pure methamphetamine to an undercover agent.<\/p>\n

\"Ice<\/a>
The Property where Steven Thomas hoped to open the “Ice Nightclub” \u2014 (Photo: Seattle Pi.com)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Thomas used bank accounts set up in the name of Ice Nightclub to launder money he believed to be the proceeds of drug dealing. \u00a0Some of the money was provided to Thomas by undercover agents acting as drug dealers in order to ferret out the nature and extent of Thomas\u2019 wrongdoing.<\/p>\n

The plan that Thomas concocted was for drug dealers to give him cash disguised as an investment in the club. \u00a0Then Thomas would write a check from Ice Nightclub accounts to an entity connected to the drug dealers to make it appear that the Ice Nightclub was paying for services rendered.<\/p>\n

Thomas collected a fee from the \u201cdrug dealers\u201d for his assistance in disguising the criminal source of the funds.<\/p>\n

On March 27, 2014, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Thomas’ residence.<\/p>\n

They found a loaded Glock 9 mm Model 19 firearm next to his bed. \u00a0Also in the residence was evidence of drug dealing including cocaine, 14 cell phones, scales, currency bands and evidence of a previous marijuana grow.<\/p>\n

Thomas is prohibited from possessing guns due to a felony drug conviction in 2006 in Arkansas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SEATTLE Businessman Steven Asir Thomas owned various nightclubs in the Seattle area and wanted to open a new one called “Ice Nightclub” to be a cover for laundering drug money, according to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14089,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,3],"tags":[1249,1235,553,492],"class_list":["post-14084","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home-main-slider","category-u-s-department-of-justice","tag-drug-dealing","tag-ice","tag-methamphetamine","tag-money-laundering"],"yoast_head":"\nBusinessman wanted to open "Ice Nightclub" to Deal Drugs<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A Seattle businessman wanted to open a nightclub so he could launder drug money and deal drugs. 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