3 Check Cashing Firm Executives Sentenced
Three former executives of a check cashing company were sentenced to prison Monday after pleading guilty to money laundering charges in Los Angeles federal court.
Christine Annette Umbertino, 44, chief executive of Supermail International, and her brother, Alberto Joseph Umbertino, 40, company president, each received a 57-month sentence.
Mercedes Veiga, 46, senior vice president, was sentenced to 46 months in prison.
The defendants, who live in Sacramento, operated a chain of about a dozen check cashing stores, including several in the Los Angeles area.
During an undercover sting, they agreed to launder $825,000 in cash provided by an undercover agent posing as a major narcotics trafficker. They were to receive a 5% fee for using Supermail’s corporate account to wire transfer the money to an undercover account in Florida.
Three other Supermail employees pleaded guilty earlier and were sentenced to terms ranging from 46 to 72 months in prison.
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