Baltimore Defense Attorney Kenneth Ravenell Sentenced To Nearly 5 Years In Prison For Money Laundering Conspiracy
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A high-profile Baltimore defense attorney was sentenced Wednesday to four years and nine months in federal prison for a conspiracy to commit money laundering charge, the U.S. Department of Justice said.
Kenneth Wendell Ravenell, 61, of Monkton, was convicted last December after a 16-day trial.
Evidence presented at trial showed that Ravenell received drug money from his clients and associates, some of it in exchange for laundering money. It is estimated that he laundered over $1 million using his law firm's bank accounts.
Prosecutors contended that Ravenell also used his firm's resources to arrange payments to attorneys hired to represent other members of the conspiracy, and to make investments on behalf of a client who was a drug trafficker.
Jurors acquitted Ravenell of several other charges, including racketeering conspiracy, narcotics conspiracy, conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States, falsification of documents and obstructing an official proceeding.
Attorney Joshua Treem and Sean Gordon, a private investigator who worked for Ravenell, were acquitted of charges including conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States, falsification of documents and obstructing an official proceeding.
Ravenell's sentence will followed by three years of supervised release, the DOJ said.