An appellant who executed hundreds of money transfers on behalf of a group of fraudsters wants his convictions overturned, claiming he was kept in the dark about the source of the funds.
The Elbert P. Tuttle U.S. Courthouse in Atlanta, home of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. (Photo via Eoghanacht/Wikipedia Commons)
(CN) — The 11th Circuit on Tuesday considered whether prosecutors are trying to have their cake and eat it, too, if they argue for a defendant’s active knowledge of a crime but fall back on a “deliberate ignorance” jury instruction to convict.
The issue arose in the case of Shameer Hassan, who is appealing his convictions on charges of money laundering, wire fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft in connection with a sweepstakes scheme.