This is What $20 Million Hidden in a Bed Looks Like

Update: The state's U.S. Attorney's Office released the above photo Monday, Jan. 23.

WESTBOROUGH, MA — Agents seized $20 million in cash hidden inside a box spring in an apartment in Westborough on Thursday, arresting a Brazilian man who allegedly conspired to launder proceeds of the massive TelexFree pyramid scheme.

Cleber Rene Rizerio Rocha, 28, was charged in a criminal complaint with one count of conspiring to commit money laundering, said Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz in a press release. Rocha was detained after an appearance on Friday before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Judith G. Dein.

According to the complaint, federal agents searched the headquarters of TelexFree in Marlborough in April 2014. Later that day, Carlos Wanzeler, one of the founders of the company, allegedly fled to Brazil, his native country, where he remains.

Wanzeler and TelexFree co-founder James Merrill were indicted in July 2014 on charges that they operated the company as a massive pyramid scheme. Merrill pleaded guilty to those charges in October 2016 and awaits sentencing.

According to officials, an intermediary who worked on Wanzeler's behalf contacted an associate for help to transfer millions of dollars of the TelexFree money to Brazil, money that was still hidden in the greater Boston area.

That associate, who subsequently became a cooperating witness for the government, allegedly arranged with Wanzeler’s nephew in Brazil to launder the cash through Hong Kong, convert it to Brazilian reals, and transfer it to Brazilian accounts, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.

Rocha, acting as a courier for Wanzeler’s nephew, flew from Brazil to JFK Airport in New York City a few days ago, the DA's office said. On Thursday, Rocha reportedly met the cooperating witness at a restaurant in Hudson, and allegedly gave him $2.2 million in a suitcase.

After the meeting, the DA's office said agents followed Rocha to an apartment complex in Westborough, and later arrested him. That night, agents searched an apartment at the Westborough complex and seized a massive stockpile of cash - approximately $20 million - hidden in a box spring, said officials.

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