BALTIMORE (WBFF) — Quickly shifting from a victim to a suspect, a Baltimore man who was shot at twice within a two-week period prompted federal investigators to take a closer look. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, what they uncovered was a multimillion-dollar money laundering and drug trafficking scheme spanning across several states.
To his 25,000 Instagram followers, Michael Micklos is an aspiring rapper who goes by the nickname ‘Buckets’. But in new court documents uncovered by FOX45, federal investigators call him the “leader and mastermind” behind the illegal operation.
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It all started last February when Micklos was reportedly shot at, but not injured. During that investigation, the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) allegedly recovered five pounds of marijuana and over $100,000 in cash from Micklos’s rental car. BPD referred it as a “drug deal gone bad.”
About a week later, Micklos was the victim of another shooting. This time, he was struck multiple times in the groin and left in critical condition. After searching the area, BPD reportedly found “multiple pounds of marijuana that Micklos attempted to discard prior to police arrival.”
Over a year-long investigation, federal agents collected a mountain of evidence, including photos of Micklos with piles of cash, undercover purchases, surveillances, phone taps, and GPS tracking. Throughout the investigation, they claim to have seized more than $6 million and more than 2,000 pounds of illegal marijuana.
Court documents accuse Micklos of running the operation, selling drugs regionally in Baltimore, MD, Richmond, VA, and Allentown, PA, then laundering large sums of cash to other states, including New York, New Jersey, and Washington – allegedly to obtain more marijuana and hide the profits.
“Now the money laundering, I don’t quite gather,” Micklos’s attorney Warren Brown said.
Brown said he needs more time to assess the evidence before commenting on the drug distribution charges, but argued the money laundering charges should be aimed elsewhere.
“From what I’ve seen, the sellers are Asians from Seattle and New York. They would obviously be the ones most subject to the conspiracy to money launder because they’re receiving the money,” he said.
The Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office says 17 other individuals have been indited. However, the details surrounding their involvement remains heavily redacted in court documents, potentially, to protect an informant, witness, or victim.
Warren says Micklos has no criminal record and was granted home detention. He’s scheduled for an initial court appearance next week.