Flores Twin Wives Plead Guilty to Money Laundering Conspiracy

"Socalj" for Borderland Beat

Mia and Olivia Flores are accused of pilfering $5 million in cash that they did not declare to the feds.

They proudly branded themselves "Wives of the Cartel," in print and on TV, but they didn't get away with the global vacations, shopping sprees, private schools, a J-Lo concert, and other wealthy amenities.

Mia and Olivia Flores have pleaded guilty to federal charges including money laundering conspiracy. Both women had initially pleaded not guilty and appeared headed to trial on charges in Chicago that they misled federal authorities by claiming they had turned over a full stash of drug money amassed by their husbands, totaling millions of dollars, when in fact they had siphoned other millions and hidden the money in secret locations.

Mia Lopez Flores (also known as Vivianna) pleaded guilty Thursday afternoon in a federal courtroom in Chicago.

Olivia Flores pleaded guilty in a sealed document earlier in April, but the paperwork was just obtained on Thursday. 

"There's a lot of evidence there. It looks like the feds had a strong case. It's a sensible thing for them to reach a deal," said the former federal prosecutor and ABC7 legal analyst Gil Soffer.

"Evidently they're used to getting their way," Soffer said. "You know, it was a bold operation, and it lasted a long time and achieved great success and generated millions upon millions in revenue. But obviously, it ultimately came to an end but a pretty fearless crew willing to take a lot of risks."

Soffer also pointed out the women did nothing to hide their drug world allegiance. "It doesn't help the wives to be out there and touting their connections to the cartel. It certainly whets the appetite of the government," Soffer said. "That's enough to excite the government to pursue them criminally. They do themselves no favors though by claiming an attachment to the cartel."

Oddly, the "Wives of the Cartel" had claimed that they were given immunity from prosecution during their husband's legal cases-that they claimed should have let them off the hook for these crimes. Pedro Flores even testified that he was promised his wife Mia would have immunity, however, it was never put in writing. The judge ruled that their immunity was not the case, and it would not have likely included any new crimes such as funding their lifestyles with hidden drug money.

The "Wives of the Cartel" found hiding places in furniture shipments, under floorboards, and were shipped by mail to various addresses and postal boxes. Their stash of cash totaled $5 million, according to federal law enforcement officials. In some cases, the cash was used to pay for global vacations, $165,000 in private schools, shopping sprees, a J-Lo concert, and even currency laundered through friendly gas stations.

There is a maximum 20-year sentence for each of the women but prosecutors and the defendants will likely ask for a lesser sentence. The Flores twins themselves, are in the government's Witness Protection Program.

Source ABC 7 Chicago