Case Explained: United States of America v. Richard Stone

Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit Filed: 2026-07-30 The eighth-circuit affirmed Richard Stone’s conviction and 51-month sentence for operating an unlicensed money transmitting business in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1960(a). The court held that the district court did not clearly err in applying a two-level sentencing enhancement under USSG § 2S1.3(b)(1)(A) for knowing or believing that the funds were proceeds of unlawful activity, relying on the district court’s factual findings regarding Stone’s use of fraudulent checks, rapid movement of funds to unknown foreign entities, and lack of credible explanation for his actions. The court further held that the sentence was not substantively unreasonable, noting that the district court properly exercised its discretion in weighing the factors under 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) and assigning appropriate weight to Stone’s risk of reoffending over mitigating factors such as his age. The judgment of the district court remains in effect. Do It For The Case Law is a news reporting service. Nothing in this episode constitutes legal advice.