Two more accused of money laundering

Officials say the former boss and the wife of a Hernando County man arrested in April have lived the good life off drug profits.

By JAMIE MALERNEE and LARRY DOUGHERTY

© St. Petersburg Times, published June 1, 2000

The pregnant wife and the former boss of a Hernando man accused of drug trafficking who authorities say buried $2.5-million in drug money in his back yard have been indicted on conspiracy money laundering and drug charges.

April Mae Boswell, 32, appeared in U.S. District Court in Tampa on Wednesday while James Sebastiano, 34, of Bradenton was booked into a Tampa jail. According to court records, the two are accused of using drug money to buy homes, cars and luxury items, while stashing hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash in safety deposit boxes.

"If there was a crime committed and profits are recovered from it . . . and a person tries to conceal the origin of those profits, that's money laundering," Drug Enforcement Administration special agent Jim Molesa said.

Officials found most of the money shortly after Mrs. Boswell's husband, Robert, was arrested and accused of being part of a drug ring that shipped more than 20,000 pounds of Mexican-grown marijuana from Arizona to the Tampa Bay area since the early 1990s. About a week after Robert Boswell's April 11 arrest, federal agents undercovered $2.5-million buried in drink coolers and a feed barrel in his backyard.

In the indictment, officials say the Boswells also used profits from the drug ring to pay for their home at 16403 Citrus Way in northwest Hernando County. Records also accuse Boswell of giving Sebastiano, who was Boswell's boss at Island Auto & Limousine dealership in Bradenton, $120,000 to buy a building on 300 W Jefferson St. in Brooksville that is now Island Gym. Robert Boswell, a former professional boxer, worked at the gyn as a trainer.

Don Kahn, who runs the gym, could not be reached Wednesday. The gym phone was disconnected, and a woman who answered the phone at Kahn's home said he had temporarily closed it and was vacationing in Puerto Rico.

If convicted of all charges, Sebastiano and Mrs. Boswell would spend a minimum of 10 years in jail, Molesa said.

"But if they decide to do what's right and testify for the state, all bets are off," Molesa said.

Mrs. Boswell made her initial appearance in a federal courtroom late Wednesday. After a brief hearing, U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas Wilson ordered her released upon posting of a $50,000 bond, secured by her signature.

A condition of her release was that Mrs. Boswell, who is about four months pregnant, pass a drug test. Her lawyer, T.J. Fitzgerald, said she was too nervous to urinate into a cup in the presence of a government employee to provide the sample for a test.

"Stage fright is the problem, I believe," Fitzgerald said.

"She wouldn't be the first person who was unable to provide a sample," the judge said.

Mrs. Boswell's travel also is restricted to Central Florida and Arizona, where she will go for all subsequent court proceedings.

Mrs. Boswell said little during the hearing, mostly "yes" or "no" in response to questions from the judge.

After the hearing, Mrs. Boswell's lawyer said his client intends to plead innocent and will fight the charges in Arizona. Mrs. Boswell was arrested at home Wednesday, the lawyer said.

Mrs. Boswell's husband is in federal custody in Tucson, said Anne E. Mosher, a federal prosecutor from Tucson who attended Wednesday's hearing.

Before his arrest, Sebastiano denied any knowledge of or involvement with a drug ring.

© St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.