Kansas City woman pleads guilty to money laundering scheme

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KOAM) -- A Kansas City woman pleads guilty to laundering more than $240,000 she unlawfully obtained as part of an email compromise scheme.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Missouri, Brianna S. Graves, 30, waived her right to a Grand Jury and pleaded guilty to federal information that charges her with one count of money laundering.

Court documents say ETS Contracting, located in New York, was finalizing a contract with a vendor, who was communication through email with the firm. On December 12, 2022, ETS received a payment instruction email to wire $240,926 to a J.P. Morgan Chase Bank account. They believed the email to be from the owner of the vendor company; however, the email actually came from a different address.

The U.S. Attorney's Office says ETS Contracting authorized the payment on December 18, 2022, and the funds were posted to the account on December 19. The bank account actually belonged to Graves. Graves obtained a cashier's check for the full amount and then deposited the money into another bank account.

On June 26, 2023, federal agents executed a warrant and seized $41,574 from Grave's bank account.

According to court documents, the plea agreement says Graves must pay $240,926 in restitution and must forfeit to the government $240,926, which is the proceeds she obtained from the crime. Graves is subject to a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison without parole.

Investigators

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul S. Becker. It was investigated by the FBI and the New York City Police Department.

To see the full report, click here .

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