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MINNEAPOLIMEDIA NEWS | Federal Grand Jury Charges Minneapolis Man With Laundering at Least $750,000 for Mexican Cartel
Federal prosecutors allege the defendant used false names and deliberately structured international transfers to avoid identification requirements.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN (August 26, 2026) A Minneapolis man has been charged in federal court with conspiring to launder at least $750,000 in drug proceeds for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
A federal grand jury in the District of Minnesota returned an indictment August 20 against Christopher A. Bravo Marin, 46. Federal agents arrested him Monday, August 24, and he made an initial appearance Tuesday before a U.S. magistrate judge in Minneapolis.
Bravo Marin is a Mexican national who worked for a Minnesota-based money-transmission business, prosecutors said.
The indictment alleges that he conspired with a Minnesota drug-distribution cell connected to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, commonly known as CJNG, between February 2023 and February 2026.
Federal prosecutors allege that Bravo Marin transferred drug proceeds from Minnesota to recipients in Mexico while attempting to evade his employer’s anti-money-laundering controls.
The transfers were allegedly kept just below $1,000, the threshold at which the employer required a sender to provide identification. Prosecutors say false Hispanic names were entered as senders and that cartel members supplied the names of recipients in Mexico.
Bravo Marin is also accused of forging sender signatures and sending cartel members screenshots confirming completed transfers. The indictment alleges that he received between $40 and $50 for each transaction.
He faces one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. A conviction could carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, although any sentence would be determined by a federal judge under applicable law and sentencing guidelines.
Homeland Security Investigations’ St. Paul office and the Dakota County Drug Task Force investigated the case. Trial Attorney Javier Urbina of the Justice Department’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Kline are prosecuting it.
An indictment contains allegations. Bravo Marin is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
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