By Jonathan Stempel
(Reuters) – A Connecticut oil and fuel dealer was convicted on Thursday over a virtually eight-year scheme to bribe officers at Brazil’s state-owned oil firm Petrobras so two Connecticut buying and selling corporations might win enterprise, U.S. prosecutors mentioned.
Glenn Oztemel, 65, of Westport, Connecticut, was discovered responsible by a Bridgeport, Connecticut, jury on all seven counts he confronted, together with cash laundering, conspiracy and violating the federal International Corrupt Practices Act.
Oztemel and one other defendant, Brazilian-Italian oil and fuel dealer Eduardo Innecco, have been accused of bribing officers to assist Arcadia Fuels and Freepoint Commodities win contracts and be taught confidential particulars about Petrobras’ gasoline oil enterprise.
Prosecutors mentioned Oztemel paid greater than $1 million in bribes that have been break up between Petrobras officers in Brazil and Rodrigo Berkowitz, a Petrobras gasoline dealer in Houston.
The defendants allegedly used coded language equivalent to “breakfast,” “breakfast servings” and “freight deviation” to discuss with bribes and bribe quantities.
Prosecutors mentioned the scheme ran from 2010 to 2018. Oztemel labored at each Arcadia and Freepoint, earlier than retiring in 2020.
“We’re very upset in at present’s verdict,” Oztemel’s lawyer Nelson Boxer mentioned in an e mail. “Glenn has had an unblemished report for 40 years within the oil business, and we are going to proceed to combat to clear Glenn’s good identify.”
Innecco is awaiting extradition from France to face U.S. expenses. Oztemel’s brother Gary Oztemel pleaded responsible to a associated cash laundering cost in June.
Final December, Freepoint, primarily based in Stamford, Connecticut, entered a deferred prosecution settlement and agreed to pay greater than $98 million to resolve associated U.S. bribery expenses.
Brazilian authorities had investigated Freepoint staff as a part of Operation Automobile Wash, a seven-year investigation into suspected bribery involving Petrobras.
Berkowitz pleaded responsible in February 2019 in Brooklyn to a cash laundering conspiracy cost. He has but to be sentenced, court docket information present.
