Just over two months after entering plea negotiations with the United States government, indicted Guyanese pilot Khamraj Lall yesterday changed his plea and admitted to bulk cash smuggling, signalling that the two sides have reached an agreement.
While no information was provided on the agreement, Lall’s lawyer, Rafael F. Castro Lang, in a court filing seen by Stabroek News, said his client wished to change his plea to one of guilty “pursuant to a plea agreement with the government.”
He is now expected to appear before Magistrate Judge Bruce J. McGiverin for a hearing, report and recommendation at a date yet to be set.
Searches of Lall’s private aircraft during a refuelling stop at the Luis Munoz International Airport, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on November 22nd last year, uncovered US$620,000 stashed on board. Lall was travelling to Guyana at the time.
Lall, authorities had said, accepted responsibility and ownership for the money and informed that his co-pilot and his father, who were travelling with him at the time, had nothing to do with the cash.
According to the grand jury indictment, Lall, with the intent to evade a currency reporting requirement, knowingly concealed more than US$10,000 and transported and transferred and attempted to transport and transfer such currency and monetary instruments from Puerto Rico to Guyana, in violation of United States Code 5332(a) (1) and (2).
In addition to bulk cash smuggling indictment, Lall is also the subject of a forfeiture action brought by the US government for a total of US$442,743 held in 14 accounts controlled by him, his wife Nadinee, his mother or connected businesses.
According to United States authorities, during a three-and-a-half year period, over 1,000 deposits totalling US$6.3 million were strategically placed into bank accounts controlled by Lall and his mother, Joyce Lall, in order to avoid detection of the movements of the funds. The authorities contend that deposits into the accounts were illegally “structured” to avoid the filing of currency transaction reports, while the funds were used, in part, to purchase and/or improve Lall’s “non-monetary properties,” comprising real estate, aircraft and a Lexus vehicle.
In addition to cash held in the 14 bank accounts, authorities are also going after three properties owned by the couple, the aircraft and the Lexus vehicle.
