WASHINGTON, March 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A former official of the Republic of Haiti's state-owned national telecommunications company pleaded guilty today to a money laundering conspiracy in connection with a foreign bribery scheme, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division; U. S. Attorney Jeffrey H. Sloman of the Southern District of Florida; and Daniel W. Auer, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Miami Field Office.
"Today's guilty plea represents another important milestone in our ongoing effort to tackle overseas corruption," said Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division. "The message here is simple: Whether you are located in the United States or elsewhere, we will not allow U.S. financial institutions to be used as a vehicle for laundering illicit proceeds."
According to the indictment filed on Dec. 4, 2009, Robert Antoine, 62, of Miami and Haiti, was the director of international affairs for Haiti's state-owned national telecommunications company, Telecommunications D'Haiti (Haiti Teleco) from May 2001 to April 2003. In that position, Antoine had primary responsibility for the relationships between U.S. telecommunications companies and Haiti Teleco. Antoine admitted during his guilty plea that he accepted bribes from three U.S. telecommunications companies and thereby defrauded Haiti Teleco. To disguise the origin of these funds, Antoine admitted he laundered them through intermediary companies, including J.D. Locator Services. Juan Diaz, the president of J.D. Locator, pleaded guilty on May 15, 2009, to conspiracy to commit violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and money laundering. Antoine admitted that a portion of the J.D. Locator funds were also laundered by Jean Fourcand of Fourcand Enterprises, who pleaded guilty on Feb. 19, 2010, to money laundering.
Antoine admitted during his guilty plea that $800,000 of these bribes were intended to be given to him by a U.S. telecommunications company for which Joel Esquenazi was the president and director, Carlos Rodriguez was the executive vice president, and Antonio Perez was, at times, the controller. Perez pleaded guilty on Apr. 27, 2009, to conspiring to commit FCPA violations and money laundering.
Esquenazi and Rodriguez, as well as Jean Rene Duperval, who was director of international relations of Haiti Teleco from June 2003 to April 2004, and Duperval's sister, Marguerite Grandison, were indicted along with Antoine on Dec. 4, 2009.
Antoine faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of the greater of $250,000 or twice the value of the property involved in the transaction. Antoine also agreed to a forfeiture order of $1,580,771. Sentencing is scheduled for May 27, 2010.
The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Nicola J. Mrazek of the Criminal Division's Fraud Section, Trial Attorney Kevin Gerrity of the Criminal Division's Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Aurora Fagan of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida. The Criminal Division's Office of International Affairs also provided assistance in this matter. The case was investigated by the IRS-CI Miami Field Office. The Department of Justice is still waiting for more information about Haitian citizens that have laundered money during the Aristide Administration. Préval and his cronies are also under investigation.
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