IN THIS ISSUE
• Anticorruption Developments
• Export Control Sanctions and Customs Enforcement
• Export Control and Sanctions Developments
• Global Investigations Resources
• Writing and Speaking Engagements
ANTICORRUPTION DEVELOPMENTS -
Miami Businessman Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy Charges in PetroEcuador Investigation -
On January 23, 2020, Armengol Alfonso Cevallos Diaz (“Cevallos”) pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Cevallos, an Ecuadorian citizen living in Miami, Florida, admitted that from 2012 to 2015 he worked with others to direct $4.4 million in improper payments to public officials at Ecuador’s state-owned oil company, PetroEcuador. Specifically, Cevallos stated that he conspired with others to launder the money through Miamibased shell companies and bank accounts and by purchasing properties in Miami for the benefit of the PetroEcuador officials. Cevallos admitted to facilitating these payments on behalf of his own companies as well as other Ecuadorian contractors in order to obtain oil services contracts with PetroEcuador.
Please see full publication below for more information.