As a defense lawyer, when defending a client's suspected money laundering, he must strictly abide by the law and professional ethics, and ensure that all defense strategies are based on facts and legal basis. The following are some possible legal defense directions, but it should be noted that **Specific cases need to be analyzed in combination with evidence, legal provisions and judicial practice**： --- ### 1. **Prove the legal source of funds** -**Provide transaction records and proof of income**: Through payroll, tax records, commercial contracts, investment income and other documents, prove that the funds involved in the case come from legal income (such as wages, operating profits, inheritance, etc.). -**Explain the rationality of capital flows**: For example, large-scale transfers may be for legitimate purposes such as home purchase, investment, and lending, and relevant contracts or agreements need to be provided to support them. --- ### 2. **Lack of subjective intent (key defense point)** -The crime of money laundering usually requires the perpetrator to know that the funds are the proceeds of crime. When defending, you can claim： -The customer is unaware of the illegal source of the funds (such as being deceived or used by a third party). -The operation of funds conforms to normal business logic and has no concealment (such as transfers through public accounts, undivided or disguised transactions). -The customer has no intention of evading supervision (such as proactively filing taxes or complying with anti-money laundering regulations). --- ### 3. **The transaction behavior complies with business practices** -**The legitimacy of investment behavior**: For example, funds are used to purchase common investment targets such as real estate, stocks, and cryptocurrencies, and the transaction price is consistent with the market price, without abnormal premiums or discounts. -**Industry particularity**: Some industries (such as cross-border trade and art trading) have complex capital flow patterns, and their rationality needs to be explained through expert testimony. --- ### 4. **Defense of procedural legality** -If there is a procedural violation (such as illegal search or seizure) by the law enforcement department during the collection of evidence, it may apply for the exclusion of relevant evidence. -Questioning the integrity of the prosecution's evidence chain, such as the inability to prove the direct connection between funds and upstream crimes. --- ### 5. **Distinguish between "investment mistakes” and "money laundering”** -Admit that there are risks or errors of judgment in the client's investment behavior (such as cryptocurrency losses), but emphasize that its purpose is to make a profit rather than to conceal illegal gains. --- ### 6. **Negotiate a plea or alternative** -If the evidence is conclusive, you can consider negotiating with the prosecution to plead guilty (such as admitting a lesser charge of “negligence”) or by returning funds and paying a fine in exchange for probation. --- ### Precautions： -**Avoid false statements**: Lawyers must not falsify evidence or instigate clients to commit perjury, otherwise they may bear legal responsibility. -**Rely on professional support**: If necessary, hire accountants, financial experts, etc. to issue appraisal reports to strengthen the credibility of the defense. -**Differences in jurisdictions**: The definition and defense strategies of money laundering in different countries/regions may be different (such as the difference between Article 191 of China's Criminal Law and the U.S. Bank Secrecy Act). --- In the end, the defense strategy needs to be based on the details of the case, and the goal is to restore the truth of the facts and ensure that the parties receive a fair trial. The duty of a lawyer is to protect the legitimate rights and interests of the parties, not to promote illegal acts.