Pubdate: Thurs, 27 May 1999 Source: Tampa Tribune (FL) Copyright: 1999, The Tribune Co. Contact: http://www.tampatrib.com/ Forum: http://tampabayonline.net/interact/welcome.htm Author: Gary Sprott, of The Tampa Tribune MONEY-LAUNDERERS GET REDUCED TERMS TAMPA - Three family members are sentenced in federal court on charges involving drug money. A former Ybor City night club director and his divorced parents were sentenced in fed eral court Wednesday for their part in a scheme to launder about $1.5 million in drug money. Lee Okenfus and his father, Eugene, pleaded guilty in November to conspiracy to commit money laundering. Doris Okenfus pleaded guilty to structuring a financial transac tion to avoid having to report the income to the government. Federal prosecutors said the family became involved in the scheme when another son was arrested on drug charges in New York in 1996. Jon Okenfus asked his fam ily to take large amounts of money before authorities found it, prosecutors said. The money then was used to buy property, among other things. Lee Okenfus, 37, was sentenced to time served, two years of supervised release and one year of home detention. Lee Okenfus, who was held at Morgan Street Jail for 17 months, faced a maximum of 20 years in federal prison. Lee Okenfus was director of the former Ybor nightclub Fla vours. Because Lee Okenfus pleaded guilty and cooperated with investigators, prosecutors did not oppose a reduced sentence. However, he still faced a sentence of three to four years. But U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday, noting that Lee Okenfus suffers from a life-threatening illness and has extensive medication needs, agreed to a further reduction. Eugene Okenfus, 66, was sentenced to 51 months in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised released. He faced up to 20 years in prison, but prosecutors didn't oppose a reduced sentence. Merryday said Eugene Okenfus could serve his time while completing a 15-year sen tence in New York for conspiracy to traffic drugs. Doris Okenfus, 65, was sentenced to time served. She spent about a week in jail after her arrest. She faced up to five years in prison. Merryday agreed that she became embroiled in the money-laundering scheme only because of Lee Okenfus' actions when he used some of the drug money to buy a Bayshore Boulevard condominium in his mother's name. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek Rea