Law school grad sentenced for money laundering scheme

An area law school graduate was sentenced Thursday to 20 years in federal prison for conspiring to launder drug money.

Mendy Read-Forbes of Platte City was sentenced after pleading guilty to conspiracy. She admitted that she began meeting with a "drug dealer" in March 2012. The drug dealer, actually an undercover Kansas Bureau of Investigation agent, said he needed assistance hiding his marijuana profits.

Read-Forbes, who operated the nonprofit Forbes & Newhard Credit Solutions Inc., said she could launder the money through her business. She told him a number of her customers paid with cash, so laundering his money wouldn't look suspicious. To further conceal the money, she named him to her company's board of directors and listed him as an employee. She also created a fictitious company called Maximus Lawn Care LLC as part of the scheme.

Read-Forbes laundered more than $200,000 during the investigation. In 2013,Kansas City lawyer Ronald Partee, a once-prominent Kansas City criminal defense lawyer, was sentenced to five years in prison. The remaining co-defendant, Laura Shoop, 47, is awaiting sentencing.

Leslie covers retail and restaurants, and creates Web stories and other online content.

http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2015/04/24/law-school-grad-sentenced-for-money-laundering.html