TD Bank today pled guilty and agreed to pay over $1.8 billion in penalties to resolve the Justice Department’s investigation into violations of the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and failure to comply with anti-money laundering rules.

TD Bank's anti-money laundering controls were so lax that the bank became "an easy target" for drug traffickers and other criminals, feds say.

TD Bank agreed to pay about $3 billion in fines to U.S. authorities and pleaded guilty on Thursday to money-laundering-related charges in a case brought by federal prosecutors, who said the Canadian bank made it “convenient” for criminals to open accounts, transfer funds and even deposit seven-figure sums of cash at its branches.