Brothers Sentenced to Prison in Bribery, Money Laundering Scheme for Brazilian Co.

Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares and Ricardo Enrique Martinelli Linares, brothers who are both dual citizens of Panama and Italy, were sentenced to 36 months in prison each for laundering $28 million in a bribery and money laundering scheme with Brazilian construction conglomerate Oderbrecht S.A., DOJ announced. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York also ordered the brothers to forfeit more than $18.8 million and pay a $250,000 fine along with serving two years of supervised release.

Each brother pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering and to agreeing to set up offshore bank accounts under the names of shell companies to receive over $28 million in bribe payments from Oderbrecht to benefit a relative -- a high-ranking public official in Panama, DOJ said. Around $19 million of the bribes were wired through U.S. banks. Oderbrecht pleaded guilty in 2016 to violating the anti-bribery provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in the scheme to bribe government officials, political parties and others in Panama and other countries to get and keep business for the company. The brothers were extradited from Guatemala in late 2021, Luis in November and Ricardo in December.

“Ricardo and Luis Martinelli Linares directed millions of dollars in bribes through U.S. banks to their own Swiss accounts in order to help Odebrecht gain corrupt influence at the highest levels of the Panamanian government,” Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite said.