Walpole Man Sentenced to Four Months in Prison for Smuggling Gold out of Colombia and Laundering Related Funds

BOSTON - A Walpole man has been sentenced in federal court in Boston for his role in a 2018 scheme to smuggle gold, platinum and other precious metals into the United States from Colombia and then laundering the money.

Thomas Cataloni, 46, was sentenced on April 15, 2026 by U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris to four months in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release. In January 2026, Cataloni was convicted of one count of conspiracy to smuggle goods into the United States, one count of international money laundering and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. The defendant was charged in November 2022.

In 2018, Cataloni and his co-conspirators sent hundreds of thousands of dollars to bank accounts in Colombia to pay for gold and platinum to be smuggled into the United States without being declared at U.S. customs. To facilitate the smuggling, the gold and platinum were melted in Colombia and formed to look like crude, unfinished jewelry such as chains, keychains and purse straps. The supposed jewelry was then worn by individuals who flew from Colombia into the United States without declaring the gold and platinum.

Two of Cataloni's co-conspirators previously pleaded guilty. One was sentenced earlier this year and the other is scheduled to be sentenced later this year.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by Customs & Border Protection; Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority; and the Canton and Walpole Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian J. Sullivan and Samuel R. Feldman of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit are prosecuted the case.