California Woman Sentenced to Nearly 3 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering

SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Riverside, California, woman convicted of Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering. The sentencing took place on February 9, 2026.

Destiny Canty, 46, was sentenced to 34 months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Canty was indicted for Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering by a federal grand jury in May 2024. She pleaded guilty on November 10, 2025.

Canty received payments from co-conspirators in South Dakota and elsewhere, utilizing various electronic means including CashApp, electronic deposits, and Western Union, and was aware that the funds were generated from the illegal sale of narcotics. She then provided the funds to the leader of the drug trafficking organization. The payments were made in this manner to hide the narcotic-related source and true owner of the funds. In total, Canty was found to have laundered approximately $80,000. The total amount of money laundered by the organization that Canty was associated with was over $700,000.

"Our law enforcement partners are using every available tool to dismantle drug trafficking organizations," said U.S. Attorney Parsons. "That includes following the money and prosecuting those who try to launder it for these criminal groups. For this defendant, and many more to come, the money trail ends in a federal prison cell."

"IRS Criminal Investigation is committed to working alongside other law enforcement agencies to dismantle drug trafficking organizations," said IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge William Steenson. "We use our financial expertise to track down members of these organizations to shut down their funding sources and bring them to justice. Each one who goes to prison is a victory for our communities."

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, IRS Criminal Investigation, and the Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges prosecuted the case.

Canty was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Minneapolis comprises agents and officers from FBI, HSI, DEA, ATF, USMS, USPIS, SD DCI, SFPD, MCSO, and SDHP with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney's Office for the District of South Dakota.