Man Hid $49K In Jeep, Charged With Money Laundering: Prosecutor

FORT LEE, NJ — Authorities arrested and charged a man with money laundering after they found $49,000 hidden in his Jeep during a traffic stop recently, authorities announced.

Jose Vargas-Negron, 33, of Leola, Pennsylvania, was arrested during an investigation by the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office, said acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo.

Members of the prosecutor's office Narcotics Task Force stopped Vargas-Negron driving a blue 2007 Jeep in Fort Lee Thursday, Calo said.

Authorities found $49,000 in an electrically-operated, custom-installed hidden compartment in the Jeep, Calo said.

Vargas-Negron was charged with transporting or possessing property known or which a reasonable person would believe to be derived from criminal activity, the acting prosecutor said.

Clao said Vargas-Negron is scheduled to appear in Central Judicial Processing Court April 4.

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Photo: Jose Vargas-Negron, 33/Bergen County Prosecutor's Office