Date: May 22, 2025
Contact: [email protected]
CHARLESTON, SC — A federal grand jury in Charleston returned a 17-count indictment against Jimmy Soares De Oliveira Carvalho and Jose Rivelino Serafim Da Silva, both of Berkeley County, for money laundering and money laundering conspiracy. Carvalho is also charged with witness tampering.
The indictment alleges that Carvalho and Da Silva created 11 shell companies that purported to work in the construction industry to facilitate payments from contractors who were engaged in residential and commercial construction to their laborers, who frequently were undocumented and performing work on behalf of the contractors. Carvalho, Da Silva, and others used the shell companies to operate an unlicensed check cashing business and unlawfully cashed checks for individuals and companies working in the construction industry for a 3 to 5 percent fee. From January 2017 to the date of the indictment, Carvahlo, Da Silva, and others unlawfully cashed approximately $74 million in checks for clients of the shell companies.
For counts one through 12 and 17, Carvalho faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and for counts 13 through 16 Carvalho faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Carvalho is currently detained and has a detention hearing scheduled for Friday, May 23 at 9 a.m. before the United States Magistrate Judge Molly H. Cherry.
Da Silva, for count one and counts nine through 12, faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and for counts 13 through 16, Da Silva faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Da Silva is scheduled for an initial appearance Friday, May 23 at 9 a.m. before the United States Magistrate Judge Molly H. Cherry.
The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amy Bower and Whit Sowards are prosecuting the case.
This investigation is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
All charges in the indictment are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
IRS-CI is the criminal investigative arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money-laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. IRS-CI special agents are the only federal law enforcement agents with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code, obtaining a 90% federal conviction rate. The agency has 20 field offices located across the U.S. and 14 attaché posts abroad.