Amec Foster Wheeler Energy Ltd., a subsidiary of United Kingdom-based engineering company John Wood Group, agreed to pay a penalty of more than $18 million to settle charges that it paid bribes to foreign officials in Brazil in exchange for a $190 million contract to design a gas-to-chemicals complex, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York said in a June 25 news release. Amec Foster Wheeler was charged with conspiracy to violate the anti-bribery portions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the release said. The company entered into a three-year deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) to resolve the charges, the release said. From 2011 to 2014, Amec Foster Wheeler conspired with other parties, including an Italian sales agent, to pay bribes to Brazilian state-owned oil company officials to win the high-priced contract.
Two U.S. citizens and three foreign nationals were indicted by a federal grand jury in Los Angeles for conspiring to illicitly ship defense articles to Russia, the Department of Justice said in a June 21 news release. The goods, allegedly exported without a license in violation of the Arms Export Control Act, include thermal imaging riflescopes and night-vision goggles. The five allegedly obtained the items using false names and addresses, then shipped the articles to Russian co-conspirators, DOJ said. The nightscopes and goggles are regulated under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, making their illegal exportation a violation of the AECA. Elena Shifrin of Mundelein, Illinois, and Vladimir Pridacha of Volo, Illinois, were arrested June 17 for their roles in the nearly four-year scheme. The other defendants are Boris Polosin of Russia, Vladimir Gohman of Israel and Igor Panchernikov, an Israeli national residing in Corona, California, during much of the scheme.
Jessica Johanna Oseguera Gonzalez, a dual U.S.-Mexico citizen and daughter of the leader of Mexican drug trafficking group Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion, was sentenced to 30 months in prison for violating the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, the Department of Justice said in a June 11 news release. Oseguera Gonzalez “engaged in financial dealings” with six Mexican companies that had been designated by the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control. She owned two OFAC-designated companies, J&P Advertising and JJGON S.P.R., and was a high-ranking officer at four other listed businesses. Oseguera Gonzalez's father, CJNG leader Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, and her uncle, Abigael Gonzalez Valencia, the leader of the Los Cuinis cartel, also were sanctioned by OFAC.
Peruvian citizen Hilario Renato Mendoza Beltran was sentenced to 87 months in prison for conspiring to distribute over 5 kilograms of cocaine and launder money for an international cocaine trafficking group. Beltran pleaded guilty to working as a Peru-based operative of the organization by transporting over $472,000 of the group's money and arranging the delivery of around 140 kilograms of cocaine to other operatives in Peru, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of New York said in a June 4 news release. The delivered drugs were shipped to Guatemala and Mexico and then smuggled into the U.S. According to the release, between 2014 and 2016, the Montreal-based operation collected the proceeds in Montreal from selling marijuana and cocaine in the U.S. and Canada, then used that money to purchase cocaine from various suppliers. The cocaine was then smuggled back to Canada and the U.S.
The State Department announced debarments against seven people convicted of violating the Arms Export Control Act. The debarments, which will be imposed starting June 4, target Ronald Adjei Danso, Julian Alonso Higuera, Qingshan Li (see 2006150026), Si Mong Park (see 2009220055), Maritza Rubio, Wei Sun (see 2011180019) and Randy Lew Williams. All seven are “generally ineligible” to participate in activity controlled by the International Traffic in Arms Regulations for three years following their dates of convictions. At the end of that period, they must apply to be reinstated from their debarment before engaging in ITAR activities.
Tina Chen, a resident of Las Vegas and owner of electronics and computer components exporter Top One Zone, was indicted by a federal grand jury for conspiracy to export goods from the U.S. to Iran, the Department of Justice said in a May 28 news release. Chen allegedly worked with others to purchase and ship goods from U.S. companies through entities in Hong Kong to individuals in Iran without a license from the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control. Chen hid the identities of the end-users, DOJ alleged. She is charged with one count of conspiracy to unlawfully export goods to Iran in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations -- a charge that carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine.
Two Bolivian nationals and three U.S. citizens were arrested on charges of bribery and money laundering relating to payments made by a U.S. company and individuals to secure a Bolivian government contract, then the laundering of the payments through the U.S. financial system, the Department of Justice announced. Luis Berkman, Bryan Berkman and Philip Lichtenfeld allegedly paid $602,000 in bribes to Arturo Murillo Prijic, the then-Bolivian minister of government; Sergio Mendez Mendizabal, the Ministry of Government's former chief of staff; and one other Bolivian official. The bribes were paid to secure a $5.6 million contract for tear gas and other non-lethal equipment between Bryan Berkman's Florida-based company and the Bolivian Ministry of Defense, DOJ said.
San Diego company EcoShield and its owner Samir Haj pleaded guilty in federal court to illicitly importing, selling and mailing a pesticide marketed as a killer of viruses such as COVID-19. According to a May 25 press release from the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California, Haj imported the pesticide packaged as small badges from Japan, labeled it as an air purifier and lied on declaration forms, leading to a customs duty underpayment of $33,919. Further, the product, called EcoAirDoctor, contained the ingredient sodium chlorite, which is illegal to mail because it is flammable. Haj illegally shipped the pesticide via U.S. mail. In the plea agreements, EcoShield and Haj agreed to forfeit $427,689 from the sale of the product and pay restitution of $86,754 for the unpaid duty costs and costs of disposing of the product. The defendants also paid a $42,000 fine.
Italian company GVA International Oil and Gas Services pleaded guilty to violating the Export Control Act after conspiring to obtain a power turbine for use on a Russian Arctic deepwater drilling platform. According to a May 26 press release from the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, GVA admitted to working with Russia-based energy company KS Engineering to procure the $17.3 million turbine from a U.S. manufacturer for the project -- a move prohibited by the Commerce Department without first obtaining a license. While attempting to finalize the transaction, GVA employee Bruno Caparini, along with a KSE employee and an employee of the Georgia-based firm World Mining and Oil Supply, was arrested. GVA owner Gabrielle Villone is currently in prison serving a 28-month sentence after pleading guilty to conspiracy to violate the ECA.
Two former Chadian diplomats posted to the U.S. were charged with bribery and money laundering after allegedly accepting a $2 million bribe from a Canadian energy company in exchange for obtaining oil rights in the African nation. Mahamoud Bechir and Youssouf Takane took the bribe and conspired to launder it while serving as diplomats in Chad's Embassy in Washington, 2009 to 2014, the Department of Justice said in a May 24 news release. The diplomats allegedly pledged to leverage their influence in Chad to secure the energy company the oil rights. The president of the Canadian company, Naeem Tyab, pleaded guilty to violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.