Delco Woman Pleads Guilty to Money Laundering Conspiracy

PHILADELPHIA - United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Christina Williams, 31, of Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, entered a plea of guilty today before United States District Judge Joshua D. Wolson to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.

The defendant and her mother, Rosemarie Dixon, 54, also of Drexel Hill, were charged by indictment in November of last year.

As detailed in court filings and statements, from about January 2020 through April 2021, Williams conspired with Person 1, Dixon, and others to conduct financial transactions, knowing that the funds involved represented the proceeds of fraud, and knowing that the transactions were intended to disguise the source and ownership of the fraud proceeds.

In March 2020, Williams, Person 1, and others caused a business called Williams Royal Real Estate LLC ("Williams Royal") to be registered in New Jersey, with Williams listed as the owner. Williams Royal never had any business operations or employees. Beginning in May 2020, at the direction of Person 1, Williams used the business registration paperwork to open business bank accounts in the name of Williams Royal at a variety of Philadelphia-area financial institutions.

In July 2020, Dixon, as well as Person 1 and others caused a business called Dixon Delish Kitchen LLC ("Dixon Delish") to be registered in New Jersey, and Dixon was listed as the owner. Like Williams Royal, Dixon Delish never had any business operations or employees. At the instruction of Person 1, Dixon used the Dixon Delish business registration paperwork to open numerous business bank accounts at area financial institutions.

Around the time that the defendants opened these business bank accounts, Person 1 and others working with him caused fraudulent Economic Injury and Disaster Loan ("EIDL") applications to be submitted to the U.S. Small Business Administration ("SBA"), and the proceeds of those fraudulent applications to be deposited into the Williams Royal bank accounts controlled by defendant Williams.

Additionally, Person 1 and others caused the proceeds of business email compromise ("BEC") fraud to be deposited into the Dixon Delish bank accounts controlled by defendant Dixon.

After the proceeds of the fraudulent EIDLs and the BECs were deposited into Dixon's and Williams's business bank accounts, Person 1, Williams, and Dixon worked together to move the money around quickly from one business account to another, between the defendants' business bank accounts, from the business accounts to Williams's and Dixon's personal accounts, and out of their bank accounts to accounts in the names of other sham businesses controlled by other participants in the money laundering conspiracy.

The total amount of the fraudulently obtained funds that were deposited to Williams's and Dixon's business bank accounts as part of this conspiracy, and which they laundered, attempted to launder, and agreed to launder, was $7,171,730. With the permission of Person 1, Williams also kept some of the fraudulently obtained funds, spent them on herself, and converted them to cash for the benefit of herself and Person 1.

Williams is scheduled to be sentenced on September 9 and faces a maximum possible term of 20 years' imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $14,343,460. Dixon pleaded guilty to conspiring to money launder last month, faces the same maximum possible term, and is also scheduled to be sentenced on September 9.

This case was investigated by the FBI, Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General, United States Secret Service, and U.S. Navy Criminal Investigative Service and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Nancy E. Potts and S. Chandler Harris.