(A) A money transmitter that is required to file a report regarding business conducted in this state pursuant to the "Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act," 84 Stat. 1118 (1970), 31 U.S.C.A. 5311 to 5326 and 31 C.F.R. part 103 or 12 C.F.R. 21.11, shall file a duplicate of that report with the attorney general.

(B) All persons engaged in a trade or business, who receive more than ten thousand dollars in money in one transaction or who receive more than ten thousand dollars in money through two or more related transactions, and who are required to file returns under 26 U.S.C.A. 6050I and 26 C.F.R. 1.6050 I, shall complete and file with the attorney general the information required by 26 U.S.C.A. 6050I and C.F.R. 1.6050 I.

(C) A money transmitter that is regulated under the "Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act," 84 Stat. 1118 (1970), 31 U.S.C.A. 5325 and 31 C.F.R. part 103 and that is required to make available prescribed records to the secretary of the United States department of treasury upon request at any time shall follow the same prescribed procedures and create and maintain the same prescribed records relating to a transaction and shall make those records available to the attorney general on request at any time.

(D)

(1) The good faith filing of a report required by this section with the appropriate federal agency shall be considered compliance with the reporting requirements of this section.

(2) This section does not preclude a money transmitter or a person engaged in a trade or business, in their discretion, from instituting contact with, and thereafter communicating with and disclosing customer financial records to, appropriate state or local law enforcement agencies if the money transmitter or person has information that may be relevant to a possible violation of a section of the Revised Code or a municipal ordinance or to the evasion or attempted evasion of a reporting requirement of this section.

(3) A money transmitter, a person engaged in a trade or business, or an officer, employee, agent, or authorized delegate of an entity or person of that nature, or a public official or governmental employee who keeps or files a record pursuant to this section or who communicates or discloses information or records under division (D)(2) of this section is not liable to its customer, a state or local agency, or a person for loss or damage caused in whole or in part by the making, filing, or governmental use of the report or of information contained in that report.

(E)

(1) The attorney general may report possible violations indicated by analysis of the reports required by this section to an appropriate law enforcement agency for use in the proper discharge of its official duties. The attorney general shall provide copies of the reports required by this section to an appropriate prosecutorial or law enforcement agency upon being provided with a written request for records relating to a specific individual or entity and stating that the agency has an articulable suspicion that the specific individual or entity has committed an offense to which the reports appear to be relevant.

(2) No person shall release information received pursuant to division (E) of this section, except in the proper discharge of the person's official duties.

(F)

(1) No person shall do any of the following:

(a) Purposely violate or fail to comply with this section;

(b) With the intent to conceal or disguise the fact that money or a payment instrument is the proceeds of unlawful activity, or to promote, manage, establish, carry on, or facilitate the promotion, management, establishment, or carrying on of an unlawful activity, knowingly furnish or provide to a money transmitter, a person engaged in a trade or business, an officer, employee, agent, or authorized delegate of a money transmitter or person engaged in a trade or business, or the attorney general, false, inaccurate, or incomplete information or knowingly conceal a material fact in connection with a transaction for which a report is required to be filed pursuant to this section;

(c) With the intent to conceal or disguise the fact that money or a payment instrument is the proceeds of unlawful activity, or to promote, manage, establish, carry on, or facilitate the promotion, management, establishment, or carrying on of unlawful activity, or to avoid the making or filing of a report required under this section, or to cause the making or filing of a report required under this section that contains a material omission or misstatement, conduct or structure or attempt to conduct or structure a transaction by or through one or more money transmitters or persons engaged in a trade or business.

(2) In addition to the criminal sanctions imposed under section 1315.99 of the Revised Code, the sentencing court may impose upon a person who violates division (F)(1) of this section an additional fine of three times the value of the property involved in the transaction or, if no transaction is involved, five thousand dollars. The fine shall be paid to the state treasury to the credit of the general revenue fund.

(G) Notwithstanding any other section of the Revised Code, each transaction conducted or attempted to be conducted and each exemption from reporting claimed in violation of this section constitutes a separate, punishable offense.

(H) A report, record, information, analysis, or request obtained by the attorney general or an agency pursuant to this section is not a public record subject to section 149.43 of the Revised Code and is not subject to disclosure.

Effective Date: 09-19-1996 .