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Folks who withdraw $9999 to pay cash for a used car aren't committing it, for example? So it's only money laundering if the money's to be used in the commission of a crime that one presumes the alleged perp would want to cover up?

No, the used car buyer has not committed a crime.

The relevant concept here is "structuring", which is engaging in a significant pattern of structuring one's financial transactions so as to avoid triggering various financial reporting requirements by financial institutions.

I agree with the law, but its application in this case sounds squiffy to me. Yeah, Limbaugh was breaking the law if he bought illegally obtained prescription drugs, but what if the drugs only cost him $9999? Oh, for crying out loud. Book Limbaugh on the other stuff if he did it. But this money laundering thing sounds like someone's out to make a name for himself. And I don't mean Limbaugh.

Years ago a Woodbridge, VA car dealership was selling cars to Drug Dealers fromm DC and elsewhere. Salesmen were advising buyers to come in with checks and other instruments below the $10,000 mark. When the doodoo hit the fan a whole bunch of people went to jail including many from the dealership. The $9,999 defense didn't work with the feds on that one.

The relevant concept here is "structuring", which is engaging in a significant pattern of structuring one's financial transactions so as to avoid triggering various financial reporting requirements by financial institutions.

Its a little more than that. Its the issue of "structuring" and the illegal transactions that the "structuring" is used to conceal. More accurately, "structuring" for the purpose of concealing $400,000 in illegal drug purchases is what's relevant.

Rush and his supporters will continue to ignore this, but his enemies won't--especially when they know that no matter how tangled up Rush and the conservatives get in their own police state, they will never repudiate it, just like Clinton never repudiated the inquisitorial "harassment" laws (that he promoted) that made him answer all those personal questions. Rush will do the same thing. He won't say, "Kiss off. I live in a free republic where we can do whatever we want with our money and put whatever we want into our bodies." No, in public Rush will try to account for how he spends all of his cash, just like Clinton had to tell everybody the dirtiest details about his blowjobs from his groupies.

The relevant concept here is "structuring", which is engaging in a significant pattern of structuring one's financial transactions so as to avoid triggering various financial reporting requirements by financial institutions.

How in the hell can you commit a big crime by doing any number of a series of small, legal actions? That's like saying in a 55 mph speed zone, it is illegal to go 54 more than 25 times. That's stupid.

Unless there is a statute prohibiting this structuring business, there is nothing the feds can do, absent other proof of illegalities.

"The relevant concept here is "structuring", which is engaging in a significant pattern of structuring one's
financial transactions so as to avoid triggering various financial reporting requirements by financial
institutions."

Unfortunately, there is no objective definition of 'structuring'. The definition remains subjective, which means they can make it anything they want to, and consequently they will have to know what you used the money for in order to clear your name. This is called 'guilty until proven innocent'.