Five Arrested for Bribery, Money Laundering, DOJ Says

Two Bolivian nationals and three U.S. citizens were arrested on charges of bribery and money laundering relating to payments made by a U.S. company and individuals to secure a Bolivian government contract, then the laundering of the payments through the U.S. financial system, the Department of Justice announced. Luis Berkman, Bryan Berkman and Philip Lichtenfeld allegedly paid $602,000 in bribes to Arturo Murillo Prijic, the then-Bolivian minister of government; Sergio Mendez Mendizabal, the Ministry of Government's former chief of staff; and one other Bolivian official. The bribes were paid to secure a $5.6 million contract for tear gas and other non-lethal equipment between Bryan Berkman's Florida-based company and the Bolivian Ministry of Defense, DOJ said.