Money Laundering, Suspicious Transactions at Artichoke Joe’s

Artichoke Joe’s Casino, a California card club ( a gaming establishment that only offers card games), has been fined $8 million for numerous willful violations of the Bank Secrecy Act dating back to 2009. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) of the Treasury Department found that Artichoke Joe’s failed to maintain an effective anti-money laundering program, and didn’t report suspicious transactions in a timely way. In a press release announcing the assessment, the Acting Director of FinCEN, said that the casino had turned a blind eye to loan sharking, suspicious transfers of high-value gaming chips, and flagrant criminal activity that occurred in plain sight. The casino did not consent to imposition of the fine, so the DOJ must now file suit in federal court to collect  In 2011, Artichoke Joe’s entered into a stipulated settlement with the California Bureau of Gambling Control, agreeing to pay a fine of $550,000, with $275,000 stayed for a two-year period, and agreed to modify its surveillance, work with the city of San Bruno to improve coordination with law enforcement, replace employees at the Pai Gow tables, and provide additional training on loan-sharking, illegal drugs, and compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act.