The DOJ charged two Bolivian citizens and three U.S. citizens for their involvement in a bribery scheme to secure a Bolivian government contract for a Florida-based company.
In a Complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, the DOJ alleged that the three U.S. citizens paid $602,000 in bribes for the benefit of the former Bolivian Minister of Government, the former Chief of Staff of the Bolivian Ministry of Government and another Bolivian government official. The DOJ stated that the purpose of the bribes was to secure a nearly $5.6 million contract to provide the Bolivian Ministry of Defense with tear gas and other nonlethal weaponry. To effect the bribery scheme, the five individuals allegedly caused transfers (i) from a Bolivian bank account to a U.S. bank account belonging to the Florida-based company and (ii) from a bank account belonging to the Florida-based company to a Bolivian bank account controlled by one of the U.S. citizens.
The DOJ charged each of the five individuals with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering with the intent to promote a violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
Primary Sources
- DOJ Complaint: United States v. Arturo Carlos Murillo Prijic
- DOJ Press Release: Former Minister of Government of Bolivia, Owner of Florida-Based Company, and Three Others Charged in Bribery and Money Laundering Scheme
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