Money Laundering (Sentencing Cases)

This page was last substantively updated or reviewed August 2021. (Rev. # 92611)

Offence Wording

Offence
Laundering proceeds of crime

462.31 (1) Every one commits an offence who uses, transfers the possession of, sends or delivers to any person or place, transports, transmits, alters, disposes of or otherwise deals with, in any manner and by any means, any property or any proceeds of any property with intent to conceal or convert that property or those proceeds, knowing or believing that, or being reckless as to whether, all or a part of that property or of those proceeds was obtained or derived directly or indirectly as a result of

(a) the commission in Canada of a designated offence; or
(b) an act or omission anywhere that, if it had occurred in Canada, would have constituted a designated offence.
Punishment

(2) Every one who commits an offence under subsection (1) [money laundering – offence]

(a) is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years; or
(b) is guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction.
Exception

(3) A peace officer or a person acting under the direction of a peace officer is not guilty of an offence under subsection (1) [money laundering – offence] if the peace officer or person does any of the things mentioned in that subsection for the purposes of an investigation or otherwise in the execution of the peace officer’s duties.

R.S., 1985, c. 42 (4th Supp.), s. 2; 1996, c. 19, s. 70; 1997, c. 18, s. 28; 2001, c. 32, s. 13; 2005, c. 44, s. 2(F); 2019, c. 29, s. 103.
[annotation(s) added]

CCC (CanLII), (DOJ)


Note up: 462.31(1), (2) and (3)


Defined terms: "designated offence" (s. 462.3), "person" (s. 2), and "property" (s. 2)

462.33
[omitted (1), (2), (3), (3.01), (3.1). (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9) and (10)]

Offence

(11) Any person on whom an order made under subsection (3) [application for restraint order – requirements for granting order] is served in accordance with this section and who, while the order is in force, acts in contravention of or fails to comply with the order is guilty of an indictable offence or an offence punishable on summary conviction.
R.S., 1985, c. 42 (4th Supp.), s. 2; 1993, c. 37, s. 21; 1996, c. 16, s. 60; 1997, c. 18, s. 30; 2001, c. 32, s. 15; 2005, c. 44, s. 4; 2019, c. 25, s. 181.
[annotation(s) added]

CCC (CanLII), (DOJ)


Note up: 462.33(11)

Case Digests

Case Name Prv. Crt. Sentence Summary
2019
R v Abdel, 2019 ONSC 690 (CanLII), per Fragomeni J ON   SC 18 months imprisonment
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Keywords: None
R v Williams, 2019 NBPC 1 (CanLII), per Brien J NB   PC 3 years imprisonment
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Keywords: None
2018
R v Garnett, 2018 NSCA 33 (CanLII), per Saunders JA NS   CA 2 years less a day CSO
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Keywords: None
R v Lawrence, 2018 ONCA 676 (CanLII), per curiam ON   CA 30 months imprisonment
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Keywords: None
R v Barna, 2018 ONCA 1034 (CanLII), per curiam ON   CA 15 months imprisonment
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Keywords: None
2011
R v Rathor, 2011 BCPC 338 (CanLII), per Gulbransen J BC   PC 2 years less a day CSO
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Keywords: None
2009
R v Rosenfeld, 2009 ONCA 307 (CanLII), per Doherty JA ON   CA 5 years imprisonment "the offender used his status as a lawyer to enhance his money laundering services"
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Keywords: None
2006
R v Bui, 2006 BCCA 245 (CanLII), per Ryan JA BC   CA 18 months imprisonment
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Keywords: None