St. Clair County man admits to laundering more than $1.2 million from marijuana sales

An East St. Louis man will serve more than eight years in a federal prison on drug and money-laundering charges.

Donald B. Perkins, 37, pleaded guilty in a U.S. Court for the Southern District of Illinois to one count each of money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute marijuana, possession of with intent to distribute marijuana, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents, Perkins conspired with Byron Robinson, of Florissant, Missouri, to launder money to conceal drug proceeds by using cash exchanges and cashier’s checks. The pair are estimated to have laundered more than $1.2 million.

Robinson, 60, also was charged in the indictment with money laundering conspiracy and was sentenced to three years of probation in September.

The Internal Revenue Service and agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration contributed to the investigation against the two.

In November of 2021, investigators executed a search warrant on Perkins’s East St. Louis home and recovered more than 550 kilograms of marijuana. They also found a pistol belonging to Perkins, although Perkins was convicted on prior felony offenses and therefore unable to legally possess firearms.

“The act of laundering ill-gotten gains is as important to drug dealers as the distribution of illegal drugs,” said IRS Criminal Investigation (CI) Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Melissa McFadden. “The special agents of CI are proud to partner with other law enforcement agencies to take that profit-making potential away and help protect our communities from illegal drug activity.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Quinley prosecuted the case.

This story was originally published January 5, 2024 at 2:04 PM.