Paraguayan ex-official sentenced in money laundering scheme

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — A former member of Paraguay’s Congress has been sentenced to nearly three years in prison for her role in an international money laundering scheme. Cynthia Elizabeth Tarragó Diaz and her husband, Raimundo Va, had pleaded guilty in September 2020 to conspiracy to commit money laundering. She received a 33-month sentence Thursday and was told to forfeit about $119,000. Va is scheduled to be sentenced April 14. Federal prosecutors in New Jersey say the couple agreed to accept at least $2 million in U.S. currency from individuals they thought were drug traffickers, but actually were undercover FBI agents.