Money Laundering Investigation Preparation: The First Record to Organize

Preserve the actual communication

Keep the notice, subpoena, letter or other contact in its original form with attachments and delivery information. Record when it arrived and any stated deadline. A bank restriction, civil demand and criminal charge are not interchangeable. Do not infer your status from a headline or another person’s description. Counsel should evaluate the document and direct the response.

Create a factual contact log

Record dates, participants and the source for each known interaction. Separate a contemporaneous note from a later recollection. Do not add speculative explanations to a source document. If a fact is uncertain, identify the uncertainty for counsel rather than presenting it as settled. The log is an organizing tool, not a substitute for legal advice about speaking to investigators.

Inventory relevant records without expanding access

List the financial institutions, business systems, entities and custodians that may hold relevant material. Identify what you already possess lawfully and where records may be missing. Counsel should direct preservation and collection. Do not use a former employer’s credentials or seek access beyond your authority to complete the inventory.

Set the preparation scope

SAG can organize the person’s background, professional timeline and practical deadlines. Legal responses, investigation strategy and privilege decisions remain with counsel. A clear assignment prevents a personal-history project from becoming an unqualified financial investigation. Agree on who receives the working materials and what questions need specialist review.

Continue your preparation

• Money Laundering Transaction Chronology
• Account Authority Records
• Money Laundering Sentencing Preparation

Sources and a defined preparation assignment

Official context: U.S. Code: 18 U.S.C. § 1956. Sources checked November 6, 2026. Counsel evaluates the law and the manual applicable to the individual facts and dates. These preparation steps do not determine criminal liability or a sentencing calculation.

Work directly with Joseph to define deliverables, authorized recipients and review dates. An assignment may include a personal and professional chronology, source index, factual review questions and practical preparation calendar. SAG is not a law firm or forensic accounting provider. An engagement does not automatically establish privilege.

Based in New Jersey, SAG serves clients nationwide, with travel arranged for cases. No charging decision, sentence, placement or release date is guaranteed.

Request a Private Case Review

For counsel: Discuss Support for Your Client. Begin with the role, stage and deadline. Do not send account credentials or privileged advice through the inquiry form.