A federal judge found two San Ysidro...

A federal judge found two San Ysidro currency exchange operators guilty of violating federal currency laws and one of them guilty of laundering money he believed to be drug proceeds.

U.S. District Judge Leland C. Nielsen found Yong Woo Jung, also known as Charles Jung, 44, of Coronado, guilty Wednesday of 10 counts of money laundering stemming from transactions with undercover federal agents who posed as marijuana traffickers, U.S. Atty. William Braniff said.

Jung’s wife, Yee Soon Shin, 40, of Coronado, was acquitted of a money-laundering charge, Braniff said.

However, Jung and Shin both were convicted of conspiring not to file the reports federal law requires for any transaction over $10,000, U.S. Atty. William Braniff said.

In addition, Jung and Shin also were convicted of 17 other counts in connection with money transactions. The couple operate two currency exchanges at the international border, STJ Currency Exchange and STJ Money Exchange, according to Braniff. In 1989, Jung and Shin conducted 17 transactions with undercover agents involving more than $687,000, Braniff said.

Ten of the 17 deals were conducted after an undercover agent told Jung that the money, which supposedly came from marijuana trafficking, had to be changed from dollars to pesos, Braniff said.

Nielsen set sentencing for Sept. 4.