Auckland businessman confesses before being sentenced to prison for drug money laundering

OAKLAND — An Oakland resident has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for using a money transfer business to launder drug proceeds for drug traffickers, court records show.

Felipe de Jesús Ornelas Mora, 51, wrote a letter of apology to the court, saying his decision was “the worst mistake of my life” and costing him his business, Rincon Musical, and his freedom. He said it was a sacrifice. Ornelas Mora lost his business in 2022 following federal charges and ended up working as a shelf stocker at a local retail store.

“There is no excuse for what I did. Even if I was afraid to say no to a drug dealer who came to work, I should have called the police,” he wrote in his apology. “I would do anything to go back in time and do the right thing.”

Ornelas Mora was indicted along with three others, but the case is still pending. His co-defendants, Veronica Mora, Grisela Cancelada-Liceaga, and Yoselin Perez-Ramirez, worked at a similar business called America Latina in Oakland. Prosecutors said Mora and Perez Ramirez also worked as cashiers at Rincon Musical. All four were charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Prosecutors say Ornelas-Mora was fully aware that he was laundering money for drug dealers, but he used false identification to avoid government detection and sent small amounts to Mexico and Honduras. He demanded a two-year prison sentence, alleging that he had used sophistry to transfer cash.

The defense argued for leniency, saying Ornelas Mora’s family would suffer if he remained in prison for a long time. His lawyers say he also has health problems, including losing hearing in both ears after falling into a sewer drain as a child.