Money scheme ends in guilty plea
By MICHAEL P. MAYKO
Staff writer
Article Last Updated: 10/20/2008 11:16:19 PM EDT



BRIDGEPORT -- A Danbury businessman became the last of five defendants in a ring that illegally transferred more than $22 million received from Brazilian immigrants and aliens back to their homeland to plead guilty.

Marco Mansur, 52, of Waterbury, who owns Bem Brasil on White Street, in Danbury, pleaded guilty to operating an illegal money remitting business. Federal sentencing guidelines recommend he receive a prison term ranging from 4 years, 9 months, to 5 years, 11 months when he is sentenced Jan. 8 by U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall.

Mansur, speaking through Simone Freitas, who interpreted the proceedings into Portuguese for him, informed the judge he had had an 18-year drug addiction.

Hall told Mansur, who was born in Brazil and is not a U.S. citizen, that "it's very likely" he will be deported after serving his prison term.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Rahule Kale told the judge that Mansur accepted more than $9.1 million from Brazilians living in the area.

He then used RM Insurance Services LLC of Danbury to wire the U.S. dollars to various banks, including one in Texas. These banks transferred the money into Brazilian reals before sending the funds to various bank accounts in Brazil.

Previously, Nilander DeOlivera, 29, and his sister-in-law, Andrea DeOlivera, 38, both of Beverly Hill Drive, Shelton, and Monica Teixiera, 40, and Renata Amaral, 37, both of New Milford, all pleaded guilty to the charge of operating an unlicensed money remitting business.

The DeOliveras operated BrazUSA Enterprises on Main Street. Their sentencing guidelines call for them to receive a term ranging from 3 years, 10 months, to 4 years, 9 months in prison.

Teixiera and Amaral operated RM Insurance. Guidelines call for Teixiera to receive a sentence ranging from 4 years, 9 months, to 5 years, 11 months in prison.

All charged a fee for the transfers.

None of their businesses, which operated between Dec. 2005 and March, 2008, were licensed by the state to transfer money.

Agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Internal Revenue Service concocted a sting in which they approached the group about wiring $350,000 in drug proceeds.



http://www.connpost.com/ci_10768827?source=rss