CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Jason Ashley Brannan, 48, who owned and operated two Victoria businesses, has been sentenced to 24 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to commit money laundering on behalf of a cartel involved in heroin trafficking.
U.S. District Judge David S. Morales ordered Brannan to serve the prison term, followed immediately by one year of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay a $25,000 fine and to forfeit $590,290.44.
U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei announced the sentence.
Brannan owned and operated J & B Cleaning Inc. and Hills Lawn & Tree Service in Victoria. From September 2023 to May 2024, he laundered approximately $590,000 and recruited two others to assist him in the scheme.
Brannan issued business checks with false memo lines such as "Poker Cash Game," "Mexico Deer Lease," and "Carbonia Duck Lodge Mexico." He planned to claim the deposited cash came from gambling winnings if audited, and also tried to obtain kilogram quantities of cocaine.
Brannan pleaded guilty on Nov. 5, 2025.
IRS Criminal Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patti Booth and Tyler Foster prosecuted the case.
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