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A descendant of the Cartier jewelry dynasty has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison after admitting to running an unlicensed cryptocurrency exchange that laundered more than $470 million in drug trafficking proceeds.
Maximilien de Hoop Cartier, a French resident who also performs as a singer under the name “Max Cartier,” was sentenced in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday, April 28. He had pleaded guilty in October to operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business and conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
Cartier, 58, funneled the funds through a network of U.S. shell companies disguised as software and technology firms, with names such as Bullpix Solutions, Softmill LLC, and VC Innovated, before routing the money to Colombia, prosecutors said.
Authorities said the companies existed solely to receive and move international drug proceeds, converting cryptocurrency from traffickers into cash.
To deceive banks, Cartier used forged contracts and invoices to make it appear the firms were conducting legitimate tech business. He also structured transactions into smaller amounts to avoid detection.
The operation, dubbed the “Cartier Cell” by federal investigators, dates back to at least 2018.
According to prosecutors, Cartier told an undercover FBI agent that he considered a New York City hotel his second home, where he met with crypto clients, lawyers, and banking contacts.
In 2021, DEA agents seized nearly $940,000 from his accounts after channeling drug proceeds into them during an undercover operation.
Cartier later approached the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Pennsylvania with forged business records and persuaded prosecutors to return a portion of the funds before investigators built the case that ultimately led to his conviction.
A French resident and Argentine citizen, Cartier was ordered to forfeit $2,362,160 — his share of the laundering operation — along with several shell company bank accounts.
U.S. Attorney John Clayton said Cartier “exploited his knowledge of U.S. and international financial systems to launder drug money and other criminal proceeds.”
