Cleber Rene Rizerio Rocha, better known as the TelexFree mattress money mule, was 
busted
 earlier this year trying to launder $20 million in stolen Ponzi funds.

Following a guilty plea in October, Rocha was scheduled to be sentenced on December 20th.

The sentencing was delayed, following Rocha’s comical attempt to 
credit himself with the recovery of the $19.2 million
in stolen TelexFree investors funds he was caught with.

Following a rescheduled sentencing hearing that took place yesterday, Rocha was sentenced to 33 months in prison.

Rocha’s case ultimately
boiled down
to his role in assisting TelexFree owner and wanted fugitive,
Carlos Wanzeler
, with laundering millions of dollars in stolen investor funds.

(Wanzeler) left behind tens of millions of dollars that he laundered from TelexFree accounts, prosecutors said.

To retrieve the money, he and Leonardo Casula Francisco, Wanzeler’s nephew, sent Rocha to the United States on several trips to deliver portions of it to other money launders.

After his release Rocha will be subject to one year of supervised release.

Wanzeler’s primary accomplice and TelexFree co-owner James Merrill was
sentenced to six years in prison
early last year.

Last we heard Wanzeler has
no intention of returning to the US
to face justice for his crimes.

Even as those he recruited to recover funds stolen from TelexFree investors are arrested and sent to prison, Wanzeler remains wanted by US authorities.

🤖 Quick Answer

Who is Cleber Rene Rizerio Rocha and what was his role in the TelexFree fraud case?
Cleber Rene Rizerio Rocha, known as the TelexFree mattress money mule, was arrested for laundering $20 million in stolen Ponzi scheme funds. He assisted TelexFree owner Carlos Wanzeler in money laundering operations involving millions of dollars from defrauded investors.

What sentence did Rocha receive for his involvement in the TelexFree scheme?
Following a guilty plea in October and a rescheduled sentencing hearing, Rocha was sentenced to 33 months in prison for his role in laundering stolen TelexFree investor funds worth $19.2 million.

What unusual action did Rocha attempt during his sentencing proceedings?
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