“They Called It Money Laundering. I Called It My Business.”

By Quarla Blackwell

I never imagined my name would end up in headlines for something I didn’t even understand. I never imagined that trying to build a business — legally, openly, and with my name on every document — would turn into accusations that make me sound like a criminal mastermind.

But that’s exactly what happened.

According to online reports, I was charged with four counts of money laundering and two counts of gambling connected to what the state is calling an “illegal online casino” run through Facebook. When I read those words, it felt like they were talking about someone else. Someone dangerous. Someone hiding in the shadows.

Not me.

Not the woman who registered her business.

Not the woman who bought software from a distributor.

Not the woman who paid taxes and operated in the open.

Not the woman who believed she was doing everything the right way.

But North Carolina has laws that don’t care about what you thought you were doing. They care about what they can charge you with.

And that’s how I ended up facing a law I had never even heard of — a law that didn’t even exist until 2024.

THE LAW THEY USED AGAINST ME

In 2024, North Carolina passed a brand‑new statute:

N.C. Gen. Stat. § 14‑118.8 — Money Laundering.

This law makes it a felony to:

receive

transfer

transport

or use

money the state believes came from “criminal activity.”

And here’s the part that breaks me:

“Criminal activity” can be ANY felony — even one you didn’t know you were committing.

So when the state decided my online gaming business counted as “illegal gambling,” every dollar that passed through it suddenly became “proceeds of unlawful activity.”

And just like that, I was labeled a money launderer.

Not because I hid money.

Not because I washed money.

Not because I moved money for criminals.

But because I ran a business I believed was legal — and the state didn’t agree.

THE GAMBLING CHARGES

North Carolina’s gambling laws are some of the strictest in the country.

The statute they rely on is:

N.C. Gen. Stat. § 14‑306.4 — Electronic Sweepstakes / Gaming Machines.

This law makes it illegal to operate ANY game that involves:

chance

prize

and money paid in

Even if:

the software is purchased legally

the business is registered

the owner believes they are compliant

And that’s where so many people get trapped.

I wasn’t hiding anything.

I wasn’t running a back‑alley operation.

I was running a Facebook‑based gaming business — the same way hundreds of people do across the state.

But when the state decides your business model violates §14‑306.4, everything connected to it becomes “illegal proceeds.”

And that’s how a business owner becomes a “money launderer.”

THE HUMAN SIDE OF THIS

The article online described me as:

“A former Kinston City Council candidate… arrested and charged with four counts of money laundering and two counts of gambling.”

Reading that felt like a punch to the chest.

They didn’t mention:

the nights I stayed up making sure everything was registered

the money I spent on software I believed was legitimate

the fact that I operated publicly, not secretly

the belief that I was building something real

the trust I had in the system

They didn’t mention the confusion.

The fear.

The humiliation.

The feeling of being criminalized for something I didn’t understand was wrong.

They didn’t mention the moment I realized the system I tried to follow was the same system ready to tear me apart.

THE TRUTH I’M STILL HOLDING ONTO

I am not a criminal.

I am not a mastermind.

I am not a threat to society.

I am a woman who tried to build a business the right way in a state that makes the rules impossible to see until it’s too late.

I am a woman who believed in paperwork, registration, and doing things above board.

I am a woman who now has to fight a label I never deserved.

And this is only the beginning of my story — not the end.