https://www.riverbender.com/articles/details/staten-island-man-faces-money-laundering-charges-in-madison-county-74167.cfm

EDWARDSVILLE - A man from Staten Island, N.Y., has been charged in connection with an interstate money laundering scheme, according to Madison County court documents filed on June 28, 2024.

Kezhong Xie, 40, of Staten Island, N.Y., was charged with two counts of money laundering, both Class 1 felonies.

On June 25, 2024, officers allegedly found a large amount of criminally-derived cash hidden under the carpet of a vehicle Xie was driving to New York, According to a petition to deny his pretrial release.

“Defendant was identified as one of two persons stopped by ISP [Illinois State Police] on the highway for traffic infractions,” the petition states. “K9 indicated positive on the vehicle for the presence of contraband. Officers searched the vehicle, finding approximately $250,000 in U.S. currency hidden under the vehicle carpet in a void.

“Defendant claimed he received the money from a friend, but could not identify the friend, or the source of the funds.”

Xie’s case was presented by the Metropolitan Enforcement Group of Southwestern Illinois (MEGSI), a division of the Illinois State Police. He was ordered remanded to jail until his initial court appearance.