• ABOUT
  • ADVERTISE
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • TERMS OF USE
  • CAREERS
  • CONTACT
Tuesday, January 19, 2021
Subscribe to Newsletter
No Result
View All Result
Whistleblower Network News
  • Home
  • News
    • Corporate
    • Dodd-Frank
    • False Claims-Qui Tam
    • Foreign Corruption
    • Government
    • Intelligence
    • IRS & Tax
    • Legislation
    • OSHA
    • Sarbanes-Oxley
    • SEC
  • Editorial
  • Opinion
  • Whistleblower of the Week
Whistleblower Network News
  • Home
  • News
    • Corporate
    • Dodd-Frank
    • False Claims-Qui Tam
    • Foreign Corruption
    • Government
    • Intelligence
    • IRS & Tax
    • Legislation
    • OSHA
    • Sarbanes-Oxley
    • SEC
  • Editorial
  • Opinion
  • Whistleblower of the Week
No Result
View All Result
Whistleblower Network News
No Result
View All Result
Home News Corporate

Sargeant Marine Inc. Pleads Guilty To Bribing South American Government Officials and Violations Of FCPA

Peter BriccettibyPeter Briccetti
September 30, 2020
in Corporate, Foreign Corruption, Government
Reading Time: 2min read
0
Sargeant Marine
Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on LinkedInEmail

Sargeant Marine Inc., a multinational asphalt company, has pleaded guilty to violating the anti-bribery provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and has agreed to pay $16.6 million to the U.S. government. Sargeant Marine admitted to three separate bribe schemes in Brazil, Venezuela, and Ecuador, amounting to millions of dollars of bribes paid. The bribes were paid to foreign government officials in exchange for contracts for buying and selling asphalt to state-owned oil companies. 

Sargeant Marine Inc. said that it facilitated bribes to South American countries between 2010 and 2018. During this eight-year period, it successfully paid bribes to “a Minister in the Brazilian government, a high-ranking member of the Brazilian Congress, and senior executives at Petróleo Brasileiro S.A.-Petrobras,” according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The company also paid officials at Ecuador’s state-controlled oil company, Petroecuador, for an asphalt contract in 2014. These bribes were usually disguised as consulting fees paid to intermediaries. Once Sargeant Marine received invoices for the fake consulting charges, the intermediaries would move the bribe money to shell companies controlled by the officials. In some cases in Brazil, the bribes were also paid in cash. 

RelatedPosts

Census Bureau Director Resigns Following Whistleblower Complaint

Biden Picks Gary Gensler to Chair SEC

Department of Labor Awards Delta Air Lines Whistleblower $500,000 in Compensatory Damages

Load More

 In Venezuela, Sargeant Marine admits to paying off four officials for the state-owned oil company Petróleos de Venezuela between 2012 and 2018. In exchange for the bribes, Sargeant Marine received ostensibly merit-based asphalt contracts and insider information. In Venezuela, Sargeant Marine used code names to refer to the oil company officials and insider information. 

Protect Yourself: Purchase the New Whistleblower Handbook Protect Yourself: Purchase the New Whistleblower Handbook Protect Yourself: Purchase the New Whistleblower Handbook

Daniel Sargeant, a senior executive of the company, and four other employees pled guilty to playing major roles in these bribery schemes. A sixth employee, a trader for the company, pled guilty to his role in the Brazil scheme in 2017.

Sargeant Marine’s guilty plea is another example of the FCPA’s effectiveness in prosecuting international bribery and fraud. While none of the bribes were paid to U.S. officials or paid in the U.S., the FCPA allows the U.S. government to prosecute Sargeant Marine because it is publicly traded on the U.S. stock exchange. Although there is no whistleblower mentioned in the Department of Justice press release, that does not mean a whistleblower was not involved. Whistleblowers often opt to remain nameless in their disclosures. If there is a whistleblower involved, they may be eligible for a large reward based on the size of the penalty Sargeant Marine has agreed to pay to the government. 

Read the Department of Justice’s press release here.

Tags: Corporate FraudForeign Corrupt Practices Act
Previous Post

Who Were the First 100 SEC Whistleblowers?

Next Post

Former San Jose State University Employee Alleges Cover-Ups and Whistleblower Retaliation

Peter Briccetti

Peter Briccetti

Peter Briccetti is a contributing editor with Whistleblower Network News. He writes about breaking whistleblower news, and False Claims Act whistleblowers, FCPA whistleblowers, and tax fraud whistleblowers. Peter is a graduate of Hamilton College with a degree in History and an interest in politics and anti-corruption law. At Hamilton, he wrote for the Hamilton College Spectator as an editor and contributor.

Next Post
san jose state university, whistleblower retaliation

Former San Jose State University Employee Alleges Cover-Ups and Whistleblower Retaliation

Write a Letter to The Editor.

Most Popular

Biden Picks Gary Gensler to Chair SEC

1 day ago

Smart Home Tech Company Settles FIRREA Whistleblower Case With DOJ For $3.2 Million

6 days ago

Deutsche Bank to Pay over $130 Million to Settle FCPA Charges

1 week ago

Taiwan Substantially Increases Awards for Financial Whistleblowers

1 week ago

Department of Labor Awards Delta Air Lines Whistleblower $500,000 in Compensatory Damages

4 days ago

Kim Farrington

1 week ago

Whistleblower Poll

Increased Whistleblower Protections
Legislation

Candidate’s Position on Increased Whistleblower Protections Influences 44% of Likely Voters

byAna Popovich
October 6, 2020
0

Protect Yourself: Buy the New Whistleblower Handbook Protect Yourself: Buy the New Whistleblower Handbook Protect Yourself: Buy the New Whistleblower Handbook

STAY INFORMED. Sign up for daily whistleblower email and social notifications from the Whistleblower Network News.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Qui Tam

  • Dodd-Frank
  • IRS & Tax
  • SEC
  • Foreign Corruption
  • False Claims-Qui Tam

Retaliation

  • OSHA
  • Sarbanes-Oxley

Government

  • Government
  • Intelligence
  • Legislation
  • Veterans

Features

  • Whistleblower of the Week
  • Editorial
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Opinion

Resources

  • FAQs
  • National Whistleblower Day
  • National Whistleblower Center
  • Whistleblower Handbook
Whistleblower Network News

Whistleblower Network News is an independent online newspaper providing our readers with up-to-date information on whistleblowing. Our goal is to be the best source of information on important qui tam, anti-corruption, compliance, and whistleblower law developments. 

Submit an Article
  • ABOUT
  • ADVERTISE
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • TERMS OF USE
  • CAREERS
  • CONTACT

Copyright © 2020, Whistleblower Network News. All Rights Reserved.

This Newspaper/Web Site is made available by the lawyer or law firm publisher for educational purposes only as well as to give you general information and a general understanding of the law, not to provide specific legal advice. By using this website, you understand that there is no attorney-client relationship between you and the Newspaper/Web Site publisher. The Newspaper/Web Site should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed professional attorney in your state.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Corporate
    • Dodd-Frank
    • False Claims-Qui Tam
    • Foreign Corruption
    • Government
    • Intelligence
    • IRS & Tax
    • Legislation
    • OSHA
    • Sarbanes-Oxley
    • SEC
  • Editorial
  • Opinion
  • Whistleblower of the Week
  • Login

Copyright © 2020, Whistleblower Network News. All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Sign In with Facebook
Sign In with Google
OR

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Create New Account!

Sign Up with Facebook
Sign Up with Google
OR

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
Go to mobile version