A former Department of Corrections officer has been convicted of money laundering in southeastern Arizona.
The state Attorney General’s office says Bernardo Varela, 35, entered a guilty plea on the charges earlier this month in Cochise County Superior Court. He will be sentenced in mid-February.
Varela was indicted with several family members, including his wife, his mother-in-law, and his brother-in-law, who was allegedly running a nationwide drug ring.
Varela admitted during an interview with the Attorney General’s office last January that he had opened a bank account at the direction of his brother-in-law, and he knew money running through the account came from illegal activities.
After the interview Varela resigned from the Corrections Department. Various family members have already been convicted of money laundering. Criminal proceedings against his brother-in-law are underway.