A Tangipahoa Parish resident has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to launder monetary funds, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson. Latijeria Martin, 38, entered her plea before U.S. District Judge Greg Guidry on August 12, 2025. Sentencing is set for December 9, 2025. Martin faces up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $500,000, up to three years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
According to court documents, the Drug Enforcement Administration began investigating Martin’s boyfriend, Dequarius Hamler, for drug trafficking in 2022. Authorities suspected Hamler was directing Martin to deposit proceeds from illegal drug sales into local bank accounts in order to make the money appear legitimate.
Bank records showed that between January 1, 2021 and September 9, 2023, Martin and Hamler deposited a total of $454,589.10 across seven different bank accounts. Of this amount, deposits associated with Martin totaled $328,159.10; those linked to Hamler amounted to $126,430.
Martin made deposits and withdrawals at the direction of Hamler and knew that the source of these funds was drug activity. Bank employees observed that she frequently visited branches—sometimes multiple times daily—to conduct cash transactions. The cash often smelled strongly of marijuana or had visible residue.
At one point during these transactions, a bank employee warned Martin that her actions constituted criminal structuring and money laundering and informed her that further such activity would not be permitted by the bank. Despite relaying this information to Hamler, both continued efforts to conceal the origin of his drug proceeds through their banking activities.
“This case was investigated by Drug Enforcement Administration and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stuart Theriot of the Narcotics Unit.”
The prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation aimed at disrupting major criminal organizations using a multi-agency approach led by prosecutors and driven by intelligence gathering efforts.
Additional details about OCDETF are available at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
