Washington: Federal charges unsealed on Friday accuse four former Tulsa, Oklahoma-based BizJet International Sales and Support Inc executives of engaging in a bribery scheme to generate aircraft maintenance business in Latin America.
Two of the men accused pleaded guilty in January and two others, who officials believe to be out of the country, have not been arrested yet.
BizJet cooperated with authorities and entered into a deferred prosecution agreement that had the company pay a penalty of $11.8m. Prosecutors credited the company with making voluntary disclosures and providing “extraordinary cooperation.”
A BizJet spokesman didn’t immediately return phone messages or an emailed request for comment. The Justice Department announced after business hours on Friday that the case had been unsealed.
Former BizJet president and CEO Bernd Kowalewski and ex-sales manager Jald Jensen were indicted on January 5 for conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and conspiracy to launder money. They’re also charged with violating the act and money laundering. The indictment was unsealed on Friday and the Justice Department said the men are believed to be abroad and had not been arrested.
Two former BizJet vice presidents, Peter DuBois and Neal Uhl, pleaded guilty on January 5 to bills of information in lieu of indictment. The guilty pleas were unsealed on Friday, which is when the men were sentenced in federal court in Tulsa.
DuBois pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and one count of violating the act. Uhl pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiracy to violate the corrupt practices act.
US District Judge Gregory K Frizzell sentenced DuBois and Uhl to eight months of home detention each and probation, citing cooperation with authorities by both men.
AP
