A Richmond woman has been charged with money laundering, possession of the proceeds of crime and loan sharking after a police investigation.
Alexandra Joie Chow, 35, was charged on Nov. 1 with six counts based on an investigation by the Joint Illegal Gaming Investigation Team (JIGIT) in 2019.
Chow faces one count of money laundering, two counts of possession of proceeds of crime and three counts of “entering into an agreement to receive interest at a criminal rate.”
In August 2019, JIGIT began the investigation into the alleged loan-sharking and money-laundering activity of a man and a woman, related to criminal interest rates and the illegal operation of a money service business contrary to the Proceeds of Crime Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Act (PCMLTFA).
After the 2019 investigation, it was alleged two suspects laundered $828,000, and in November 2021, search warrants were executed on properties in Richmond and Burnaby as well as on three vehicles.
Police seized items allegedly connected to money laundering, which included score sheets with client names and payment dates, four cellphones, two bank drafts totalling $50,000, more than $10,000 in Canadian cash and three high-end vehicles.
Only Chow has been charged and she is expected to appear in Richmond Provincial Court on Nov. 30.
JIGIT is part of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia.
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