– allegedly moved money for Roger Khan
Evidence found in the home of a husband and wife who are awaiting sentencing in a US court after pleading guilty to money laundering, could be used against drug accused Roger Khan as it is believed that they laundered money for his drug organisation.
According to court documents, a handwritten “money and drug ledger” found in Arnold and Sabrina Budhram’s New York home referred to individuals who are believed to be Khan’s co-conspirators.
Bank records have indicated that in 2001, a company associated with the Budhrams transferred money to a bank account in the name of Khan’s wife and child and it appeared that Khan was in direct contact with the Budhrams in early 2003.
The Budhrams were arrested and charged with money laundering on April 6, 2004 and their home and work offices were searched by investigators, who gathered a large amount of evidential material. They were granted US$5 million bail each, which was put up in cash and surety by many family members who were present in court when they made their first appearance. They were also placed under electronic monitoring and were not allowed to leave their home without permission except to go to work.
The prosecution revealed how the bank vice-president, Arnold Budhram, and the radiology technician, Sabrina Budhram, used a company they had set up and their connections to launder money for drug traffickers operating in Guyana. Sabrina Budhram is the sister of Peter Morgan, who is now facing drug charges in New York after being extradited from Trinidad. Records showed that in at least one case the couple transferred funds in his name.
Meanwhile, the prosecution served a seizure warrant on JP Morgan Chase bank, for an account held there which listed the principal owner as James Morgan, father of Peter Morgan and Sabrina Budhram. In 2004, when Arnold and Sabrina Budhram were arrested, the court was told, James Morgan was serving a ten-year sentence in the United Kingdom for drug importation.
The Budhrams pleaded guilty to money laundering on September 14, 2005.
Narcotics conspiracy
Presenting his case to the court on the day the couple first appeared, Prosecutor Michael Ramos said while the matter was couched as a money-laundering scheme, at its heart it was a narcotics conspiracy.
“These two defendants were, at the very least, on the money end of a massive money-laundering scheme that was in support of massive amounts of money flowing back and forth from Guyana to the United States, for the purpose of, quite bluntly, laundering it and hiding its origins,” Ramos said.
He said that for many years a location in New York was the central drop-off point for the Guyanese drug trade as funds would be dropped off, laundered through a company and the money eventually returned to Guyana through various means. In court, it was revealed that at least US$10 million was recorded, either entering or leaving the US, over a period of years, laundered by the Budhrams and their front company.
“However, we have reason to believe that there may have been multiples of that, over US$10 million, because those are only the instances where couriers were stopped and reported the money, either in and out of customs,” the prosecutor further disclosed. For every sum laundered, the couple was expected to earn at least 3%.
Ramos described the illegal enterprise as a “family-run organisation” and said ties between the couple and the leaders of the organisation were more than one would see in an ordinary sort of money-laundering scheme. He described Sabrina Budhram’s family, some of whom he said were in Guyana, as “one of the largest, not just laundering, but in fact, they also do cocaine importations in the United States on their own behalf.”
Another seizure warrant was served on Astoria Federal Savings bank, where Arnold Budhram was a vice-president of operations, against another account which was found there. The two accounts had approximately US$400,000 altogether on the day the Budhrams were arrested. The prosecution said those accounts were “just the tip of the iceberg.”
In his attempt to dissuade the judge from granting the two bail, Ramos had argued that two other defendants who were on pretrial release, who interacted with the organisation and the very New York address and had far lesser means than the organisation had absconded.
He said homes were posted in one instance where the defendant had a bracelet, and in the other instance, the other person was on strict curfew, with voice reporting every night to pretrial services.
“Both of those individuals fled. We see no reason, given that track record of people being customers of this organsiation, people intimately involved in this organisation would not have reason to flee,” he had argued.
‘Quintessential American immigrant family’
However, while Ramos attempted to paint a picture of the Budhrams that indicated they would flee to Guyana if they were granted bail, Arnold’s lawyer, David Cohen, painted another picture.
He told the court that the “quintessential American immigrant family” was sitting in the front row of the court. Cohen pointed to Arnold’s mother, who was in court, who he said migrated from Guyana and was a citizen of America. His brothers were also there and not only did they migrate from Guyana and become citizens, they were also educated in that country and had children in schools in the US.
“These people all have roots to this country and this community. There is only one family member of my client who lives in Guyana, a sister. Other than that, his entire family resides – we have a foreigner… an uncle who lives in Westchester.
Everyone else basically lives in this district,” the lawyer said. He described them as hard-working, educated citizens in the community adding that his client had strong community ties to remain in the country. He said his client was not a man of means, adding that based on the prosecution’s presentation he should have had no debts, mortgages or job. However, Arnold, his lawyer said, worked two jobs at the time and had done so for some 14 years.
After he left the bank in the afternoon, the lawyer said, he went home to work in his home-improvement business, which saw him going to people’s homes to do repairs and plumbing.
Martin Kane, who appeared in association with John Bergendahl, who incidentally is one of Khan’s listed lawyers, said on behalf of Sabrina that she had worked for nine years as a radiology technician at Middle Village Radiology in Queens County. A lot of her time was also spent taking care of the couple’s two-and-a-half-year-old child.
Kane said while she had relatives in Guyana many resided in the US, and many of the persons she interacted with lived in that country. These people, her husband’s blood relatives, were willing to put up their homes and life savings for her.
He said his client had lived in the US since she was in her early twenties and was a US citizen who had not left the country in six years. “Any prior trips were for significant family occasions, many, many years ago,” he said.
It is not clear when the two will be sentenced.
so thats how these successful business people in little berbice got their money nice to know,please let me know more as it will make me better understand how to make it in guyana
……………..with this brewing ……and more to come………america have a way in following the money………let us see what’s next ……….liberty ave is in queens county, new york!!…….let us sit back and enjoy the ride…..oh!!…….i forget!!…. the over night business men!!………..the over night unregulated high rise……. out of control business mushrooming!!!………..oh!….. baby….burn!……..burn baby!….burn! ……watch the ride coming through……..…..hold on people……..
These are the ones with education. That let the little man do there DIRTY WORK for them. If found guilty jail them for a long time.
Dis looks like a case for de FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) , de DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency), de CIA (Central Intelligence Agency, MI5&6 (the British Military Intelligence Home and foreign) , duh DHS (Department of Homeland Security) Naval Intelligence et al. From all appearances dem bannus (folks) just got – ICED (Immigration and Customs Enforcement – ICE) caught in the “END GAME”. 8-)
All ah dis mek ya wanda what de Guyanese intelligence services de doing; and, maybe dat is why Desmond Roberts (just outa Sandhurst College) and de rest ah he boys had fu hustle to de New Riva Triangle in dem Burnham times (they must be de nodding then) but when de Suriname gun-boats chase de oil explorers outs de Corentyne Riva de must be de sleeping; besides, all de defensive capabilities dat they did have during de Burnham Administration time they did not have it anymore; and, ah now wanda wha happen to all dem bruking down East Germany trucks dat used to be by Camp Stevenson a lang, lang time ago. They must be end up in India and China and don get melt a lang, lang time. Now dat Fineman and Skinny dead it might not be too lang before dem second-hand helicopters share de same fate. Wide open borders/pasture they say. Dis is all fu now. Bye.
No wonder Guyana has been identify as one of the most corrupted country.
One by one will expose and thank god for that the US has taken this matter in their hands.
And even so look what happened with the Lawyer that Roger Khan had.
We must not forget how powerful Roger was and the power that was given to him to pay curtain employers, to recruited Ex Police to work for him and were paid by Roger Khan.
The spy equipment that was used by Roger Khan where is it? Where is the Computer that was used by Roger Khan?
Who in the Government or the Ministry of Home Affairs have knowledge of Roger Khan association with the special group working for he Roger Khan especially ex police officers?
The bigger question is would the Guyanese people get the same results of Roger Khan’s case if it was in Guyana Court of law instead of the US court?
The man with all the info is somewhere in INDIA
My friend birds.
I guess if Mr. Hutson is ever held (& I doubt it but, just wishful thinking), we might have a few more episodes to add to the soap opera that’s blooming before our eyes.
When all is said and done..RK was charged for conspiring to import drugs in the US.Try the man on what he was charged for….Give him life in prison or gas and let it be done with…The most poweful nation on earth cant stop drugs from entering or just dont want it stop…….They have a hungry apetite for illicit drugs.Who could charge them for not protecting their own borders? Same corrupt officials they have maning their ports……
I want to know every dirty little detail,before they jail him. To kill a tree you have to get to it’s ROOTS. So my friend not so fast, let him talk, till he cant talk no more AMEN. This is not about the USA it;s about Guyana and the CROOKS IN HIGH PLACES.
hang them high the get rich syndrome result in just that. greed greed greed.
we want every thing out of him EVILEYES ……we want to hear names…….we want to find bodies that haven’t been given account for…….we want some more big fishes……..we want to know what happen to the aircraft that was stolen off of CJIA ……WE WANT TO KNOW WHO OWN THE ILEGAL AIRSTRIP AT KOW ISLAND……..and the list goes on …..there r alot of mothers still want to see their love ones who disappear n never to be seen again……give us every thing dnt worry with EVILEYES HE IS NOT ON UR SIDE WE R ON UR SIDE
……. america has plug hole on laundering a big one……….after picking up some of the big fishes in this game……as we continue to follow the money through america …we now understand the process of washing the money or the laundry process or for how it was laundered…….with all this money floting around the players in this had to have some form of military service protection…..
jail them and throw away the key. they are a total disgrace to guyanese here and in guyana. seems like nobody want to make a comment when you own people mess up.
you are so right my guyanese bro, you are so right where are all the regular
bloggers?? no more fine man to talk about no more linking fineman to
pnc now is the phantom turn , i am calling all ppp supporters to join the
chat lets talk about the regent street guns and ammo finds..///
how story getting sweeter each day that y i love guyana but hate the sin perpetuated by these special somes on the faitfull good guyanese. i walked the town and hear this same story spoken years before it got to court in the usa about this guyanese drug enter prise that has money to open big businness in gt and new york. look guyanese always have an insight to corruption that have been and is taking place if you are a man on the go you are fed so much information lo and behold the all come to pass. so these big business that sprung up from no where you know all will be reveal after all it development for the poor country so who cares.
these people give bad name to honest business owner but they are getting support from the big one you know who i am mean.
there are numerous allegation about certain business and poeple in authority that i am convince is true many as reveal themselves and there are many on way of exposing these professional criminal in suites.
some lost respected so call business peop[le meet some unexpected and unexplained death and ppl want to know y these hard working rich having this happen to them .well if the other life they live can be reveal then some of us will not be left wondering about their demise
What a story!!
This thing seems to have never ending links!
Take a walk along regent street, look right then look left, and what do you see?………as some in our beloved administration love to put it “signs of investor confidence”.
It’s all in a days work you know,just sell a few bags of rice, a few head of cattle and WALLA!! you make enough money to build those monstrosities. (At least that is what some influential folks would want us to believe.)
Jail them and throw the key in the atlantic ocean.
Dear Editor, I wrote today, to ask the US authorities to use these individuals in their investigations so as to ascertain whether there is any evidence of the involvement of government officials in THE DRUG TRADE that ran between 2001 & 2006. We all want to know if the administration knew of this and did nothing to stop it. . It is here where we’ll find out who killed some of the Cartels, if it was the Phantom {R Khan} or the Police ???.
I am sure that they would have already made deals with the DA which is why they are still out of jail on to now.