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.

On December 18th Rocha filed a motion requesting his sentencing hearing be continued. The motion was denied.

On December 19th Rocha filed a supplemental motion in support of his original motion, which was granted on December 20th.

Rocha’s supplemental motion claims his attorneys need

more time to address questions and concerns raised by Mr. Rocha and members of his family in Brazil.

Given the language and cultural issues and other challenges, this process has taken longer and has been more difficult than anticipated.

The reason for this request has to do with (privileged) attorney-client communication issues.

As to sentencing, on December 19th the DOJ filed an application to have Rocha deported.

In a hilarious attempt to twist Rocha’s money laundering crimes, a sentencing memorandum filed on December 20th states

The unprecedented recovery of Nineteen Million Two Hundred Thousand Dollars ($19,200,000.00) must be credited to Mr. Rocha.

The recovery of these funds, which were made available for the

Telexfree victim compensation fund, provided funds available for restitution to thousands of victims.

Let that sink in.

Rocha is demanding credit towards sentencing for the return of $20 million in stolen Ponzi funds to victims, because he was caught trying to illegally launder the funds for TelexFree owner Carlos Wanzeler.

Had Rocha of succeeded, Wanzeler’s victims wouldn’t have seen a cent.

Despite that, Rocha seeks to use the $20 million as leverage for a sentence of ‘
14 months imprisonment, followed by immediate voluntary deportation to Brazil
‘.

It is unimaginable for Mr. Rocha, as well as his wife and family, that he has been incarcerated in a prison in the United States for a year, and that he also faces a serious prison sentence in this matter.

This is an almost unthinkable scenario given the quality of the person Mr. Rocha is, how he has lived a law-abiding lifestyle, and the circumstances of this unfortunate incident wherein he agreed to do a favor for a friend without a full understanding of the

ramifications.

Break out the violins…

Come on now. Rocha was busted with $20 million on behalf of a fugitive wanted by US authorities.

Who takes a job like that and thinks it’s all above-board?

Worse still, Rocha’s attorneys liken him to the real victims of TelexFree;

the reality is that Mr. Rocha has become yet another casualty of the Telexfree scheme, an intricate criminal enterprise run by Carlos Wanzeler, James Merrill, Leo Casula and others which has already victimized more than 1.8 million people.

Talk about insulting. I doubt there’s a single TelexFree victim that’d equate their situation to Rocha caught laundering $20 million.

In contrast to Rocha’s crocodile tears memora

🤖 Quick Answer

Who is Cleber Rene Rizerio Rocha and what charges does he face?
Cleber Rene Rizerio Rocha, known as the TelexFree mattress money mule, was arrested for attempting to launder $20 million in stolen Ponzi scheme funds. He pleaded guilty in October and was originally scheduled for sentencing in December, facing charges related to money laundering and fraud associated with the TelexFree Ponzi scheme.

Why was Rocha's sentencing hearing postponed?
Rocha's sentencing, initially scheduled for December 20th, was postponed to February 2018 after his supplemental motion was granted. His defense team requested additional time to address concerns raised by Rocha and family members in Brazil, citing language barriers, cultural issues, and unforeseen complications requiring extended preparation.

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