B.C. woman who admitted to money laundering set to be sentenced: anti-gang unit

RICHMOND — B.C.’s anti-gang agency says it has reached a milestone in a years-long investigation now that a woman who admitted to money laundering is set to be sentenced.

The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit says Alexandra Joie Chow of Richmond, B.C., pleaded guilty in February to one count of money laundering and is scheduled to be sentenced in November.

Assistant Commissioner Manny Mann, the agency’s chief officer, says it’s the first time in over a decade that someone has pleaded guilty and will be sentenced for a “stand-alone money laundering offence.”

The agency launched an investigation in 2019 into suspected loan-sharking and money laundering.

A Richmond woman and a Vancouver man were arrested in 2021 after police searched properties in Richmond and Burnaby, with charges against Chow approved in 2023.

Mann says the case “sends a strong message” that those who exploit financial systems for criminal purposes will be held accountable.

The agency says the investigation supports enforcement of the recommendations from the Cullen Commission.

B.C. Supreme Court Justice Austin Cullen was appointed by the NDP government in 2019 to lead an inquiry into money laundering in the province.

The inquiry’s final report was delivered in 2022 and included 101 recommendations.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 22, 2025.