Mexican national Wendy Dalaithy Amaral Arévalo, 45, pleaded guilty in U.S. court to willfully violating sanctions established under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act), the U.S. Department of Justice announced.
According to investigations and court documents, Amaral Arévalo—the partner of Gerardo González Valencia (“El Lalo”), a key operator for the criminal group “Los Cuinis” (linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, or CJNG)—carried out financial transactions totaling $504,497. These payments were made to IMG Academy, an educational institution and elite sports training center in Bradenton, Florida, to cover her son’s tuition.
The defendant executed these transactions despite having been sanctioned on August 19, 2015, by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). That measure expressly prohibited her from conducting any transactions within the U.S. financial system due to her ties to the criminal activities of Los Cuinis.
It is worth noting that González Valencia was sentenced to life in prison in July 2023 for conspiracy to traffic cocaine into the United States.
Following her guilty plea, the defendant faces a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10 million. Her sentencing hearing has been scheduled for December 2.
