March 13, 2012, 3:36 PM
http://blogs.wsj.com/corruption-currents/2012/03/13/haitian-official-convicted-in-us-for-laundering-bribes/
Jean Rene Duperval, a former director of international relations for Haiti’s state-owned telecoms company, was convicted in the U.S. on all the counts he faced in a trial for his role in laundering bribes paid to him by Miami-based companies.
The jury returned the verdict late Monday after three hours of deliberation. He was convicted of two counts of money laundering conspiracy, and 19 counts of money laundering. Two Miami-based companies paid two shell companies $500,000 in bribes between 2003 and 2006 to funnel the money to Duperval.
“As the director of international relations for Haiti’s state-owned telecommunications company, Duperval doled out business in exchange for bribes and then used South Florida shell companies to conceal his crimes,” said Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer, in a statement.
Duperval is scheduled to be sentenced on May 21. Each count carries a maximum of 20 years in prison. The indictment also seeks forfeiture of assets, which will be determined at a later date, the statement said.
A lawyer for Duperval didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The case was part of a broader investigation into bribery by Floridian telecoms to Haitian government officials. Eight defendants have been convicted so far in the scheme, the Justice Department said, including Joel Esquenazi, the former president of one of the telecoms firms, who received the longest-ever sentence in U.S. history for violating its foreign bribery law.
Duperval was charged along with six others in January in a second superseding indictment with bribery, money laundering and conspiracy. Patrick Joseph, another former director at Haiti’s state-owned telecoms company, pleaded guilty. Duperval had requested in February for his trial to be separate from his co-defendants.