Victoria man sentenced for laundering nearly $600,000 in drug proceeds

VICTORIA, Texas - A 48-year-old local business owner has been ordered to federal prison for conspiring to commit money laundering, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Jason Ashley Brannan pleaded guilty Nov. 5, 2025.

U.S. District Judge David S. Morales has now ordered Brannan to serve 24 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by one year of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay a fine of $25,000, and Brannan agreed to a forfeiture of $590,290.44.

Brannan owned and operated J & B Cleaning Inc. and Hills Lawn & Tree Service in Victoria.

From September 2023 to May 2024 Brannan laundered approximately $590,000 and recruited two others to assist him in the scheme. He believed he was acting on behalf of a cartel involved in heroin trafficking.

Brannan issues business checks with false memo lines such as "Poker Cash Game," "Mexico Deer Lease" and "Carbonia Duck Lodge Mexico." He planned to claim the deposited cash came from gambling winnings if audited and also tried to obtain kilogram quantities of cocaine.

IRS Criminal Investigation and Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patti Booth and Tyler Foster prosecuted the case.