PACE, Fla. — Court documents show the Florida Department of Law Enforcement believes a Pensacola daycare owner’s alleged money laundering scheme is tied to drug trafficking.
WEAR News reported last week about the arrest of 32-year-old Rasha Hill
on money laundering charges.
The FDLE said that Hill — the registered owner of Pensacola businesses “Glamour Palace and More” and for “Blessed Our Children Learning Academy” — made wire transfers and cash withdrawals totaling over $340,000 in less than a year.
“Most of her transactions were completed in a manner designed to evade currency transaction reporting requirements,” the FDLE said last week.
WEAR News obtained the probable cause affidavit on Wednesday.
According to the document, in August 2024, an “FDLE documented confidential source” provided a special agent info that Hill and two other people were “involved in the organized scheme involving the daycares for illicit purposes.” The confidential source added they were “selling drugs and laundering the profits through the daycares.”
The FDLE then subpoenaed financial records on Hill’s Navy Federal accounts. They reportedly showed that in July 2023, she transferred approximately $30,000 to the bank account of a man previously convicted of cocaine and marijuana trafficking.
According to the document, on March 5, law enforcement executed a search at Hill’s Pace home on Cambridge Way. Agents reportedly recovered:
- $4,052 in cash
- a money counter machine
- an AR-type rifle
- several pistol firearms
- $50,000 in jewelry including multiple silver/gold bracelets, a Rolex watch and multiple diamond tennis bracelets
The document stated Hill didn’t provide any info to law enforcement post-Miranda after being taken into custody.
On Tuesday, according to the document, the FDLE seized Hill’s bank account containing $7,757. Authorities noted that the account contained $80,000 a few weeks ago.
In the document, an FDLE special agent supervisor wrote this regarding the investigation’s findings:
Due to my training and experience, Rasha Hill’s financial transactions, frequent trips to Atlanta, the purchasing of high end expensive jewelry, confidential source information, analysis of financial records and no statements of how she purchased all the items or income is believed to be characteristics indicative of being involved in the money laundering drug trafficking organization and profits from the illegal activity is and has been utilized related to the money laundering charges. Money laundering is often hand in hand with drug trafficking.
After being arrested in Santa Rosa County on March 5, she was released from jail the same day on $100,000 bond.