Ex-TD banker gets jail time in laundering case

A former retail banker with TD Bank N.A. in Florida, who previously pleaded guilty in connection with a money laundering scheme, has been sentenced to prison.

According to court filings, between June and November 2023, Leonardo Ayala, opened fraudulent accounts, issued debit cards to shell companies and unblocked cards that the bank had restricted due to suspicious transactions, which were then used to facilitate the laundering of drug money to Colombia.

The fraudulent accounts and the debit cards were used to make thousands of ATM withdrawals in Colombia, which funnelled approximately US$5.5 million back to Colombia, U.S. authorities alleged.

Ayala pled guilty to money laundering conspiracy and to accepting bribes.

Now, he’s been sentenced to two years in prison and three years of supervised release.

James Langton

James is a senior reporter for Advisor.ca and its sister publication, Investment Executive. He has been reporting on regulation, securities law, industry news and more since 1994.