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New York · Through 2026-09-11

N.Y. Penal Law § 470.00: Definitions

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Where this section sits in the code
  1. Penal Law
  2. Part 4. Administrative Provisions
  3. Title X. Organized Crime Control Act
  4. Article 470. Money Laundering

§ 470.00 Definitions.

The following definitions are applicable to this article.

1. "Monetary instrument" means coin and currency of the United States

or of any other country; personal checks; bank checks; traveler's

checks; money orders; and investment securities and negotiable

instruments, in bearer form or otherwise, in such form that title

thereto passes on delivery, except that "monetary instrument" shall not

include payments to attorneys for legal services.

2. "Conducts" includes initiating, concluding or participating in

initiating or concluding a transaction.

3. "Transaction" includes a payment, purchase, sale, loan, pledge,

gift, transfer, or delivery, and with respect to a financial institution

includes a deposit, withdrawal, transfer between accounts, exchange of

currency, loan, extension of credit, purchase or sale of any stock,

bond, certificate of deposit, or other monetary instrument, use of a

safe deposit box, or any other payment, transfer, or delivery by,

through, or to a financial institution, by whatever means effected,

except that "transaction" shall not include payments to attorneys for

legal services.

4. "Criminal conduct" means conduct which is a crime under the laws of

this state or conduct committed in any other jurisdiction which is or

would be a crime under the laws of this state.

5. "Specified criminal conduct" means criminal conduct committed in

this state constituting a criminal act, as the term criminal act is

defined in section 460.10 of this chapter, or constituting the crime of

enterprise corruption, as defined in section 460.20 of this chapter, or

conduct committed in any other jurisdiction which is or would be

specified criminal conduct if committed in this state.

6. "Financial institution" means :

(a) an insured bank, as defined in section 3(b) of the Federal Deposit

Insurance Act, 12 U.S.C. 1813(h);

(b) a commercial bank or trust company;

(c) a private banker;

(d) an agency or branch of a foreign bank in the United States;

(e) a credit union;

(f) a thrift institution;

(g) a broker or dealer registered with the Securities and Exchange

Commission under the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, U.S.C. 78a et

seq.;

(h) a broker or dealer in securities or commodities;

(i) an investment banker or investment company;

(j) a currency exchange;

(k) an issuer, redeemer, or cashier of travelers' checks, checks,

money orders, or similar instruments;

(l) an operator of a credit card system;

(m) an insurance company;

(n) a dealer in precious metals, stones, or jewels;

(o) a pawnbroker;

(p) a loan or finance company;

(q) a travel agency;

(r) a person licensed to engage in the business of receiving money for

transmission or transmitting the same by whatever means, or any other

person engaged in such business as an agent of a licensee or engaged in

such business without a license;

(s) a telegraph company;

(t) a business engaged in vehicle sales, including automobile,

airplane and boat sales;

(u) persons involved in real estate closings and settlements;

(v) the United States Postal Service;

(w) an agency of the United States government or of a state or local

government carrying out a duty or power of a business described in this

subdivision;

(x) a casino, gambling casino, or gaming establishment with an annual

gaming revenue of more than a million dollars which:

(i) is licensed as a casino, gambling casino or gaming establishment

under the laws of any state or any political subdivision of any state;

or

(ii) is an Indian gaming operation conducted under or pursuant to the

Indian Gaming Regulatory Act other than an operation which is limited to

class 1 gaming as defined in subdivision six of section four of such

act; or

(y) any business or agency engaged in any activity which the

superintendent of financial services or the United States Secretary of

the Treasury determines, by regulation, to be an activity which is

similar to, related to, or a substitute for activity which any business

as described in this subdivision is authorized to engage.

7. "Financial transaction" means a transaction involving:

(a) the movement of funds by wire or other means; or

(b) one or more monetary instruments; or

(c) the transfer of title to any real property, vehicle, vessel or

aircraft; or

(d) the use of a financial institution.

8. "Represented" means any representation made by a law enforcement

officer, or by another person at the direction of, or with the approval

of, such law enforcement officer.

9. "Law enforcement officer" means any public servant, federal or

state, who is authorized to conduct an investigation, prosecute or make

an arrest for a criminal offense.

10. For the purpose of this article, each of the five counties in the

city of New York shall be considered as a separate county.

Collected 2026-09-14T19:32:45Z. Source file · JSON

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