Riedl

I. BACKGROUND

Riedl was convicted by a jury in November 1999 on vari- ous counts, including five counts of money laundering in vio- lation of 18 U.S.C. § 1956(a)(3)(B). The jury also found that nine properties Riedl owned were involved in the money laundering and hence subject to forfeiture. The court sen- tenced Riedl to 66 months in prison for her offenses.

Riedl’s money laundering activities took place during a joint “sting” operation by the Honolulu Police Department (HPD) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 1997-98. Female undercover HPD officers initially identified them- selves to Riedl as prostitutes and rented rooms by the night in her various properties. The officers later told Riedl that they had begun selling drugs and were flush with cash as a result. Riedl and the officers then came up with a scheme to convert the purported drug money into cashier’s checks, which in turn were used as deposits for the purchases of various properties Riedl owned. Riedl was present each time the cashier’s checks were procured, and she also prepared contracts for all of the real estate transactions. At all relevant times, the offi- cers told Riedl they were purchasing her…