Feds, Greenville sheriff report $2 million seized

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The U.S. Secret Service and the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office have seized more than $2 million in criminal proceeds from a money laundering scheme.

U.S. Attorney Bill Nettles announced Thursday that months of investigation by the Secret Service and the sheriff’s office uncovered two shell companies used to hide gambling proceeds for the online poker industry.

Nettles said in a press release that two foreign-based companies sent more than $40 million into the United States involving payouts to players in South Carolina and elsewhere in the United States.

Nettles said the scheme tried to obscure the true source of the money, in violation of federal laws involving bank fraud and money laundering.

Further details of the operation were not immediately released.