The conviction of a Georgia business owner, for bribing Honduran officials and laundering money, underscores the ongoing enforcement of anti-corruption laws by U.S. authorities. Carl Alan Zaglin, 70, from Marietta, was found guilty by a federal jury in Miami on several charges, including violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
According to FOX 5 Atlanta, Zaglin's actions were part of an intricate scheme developed to secure over $10 million in government contracts in Honduras. He and his co-conspirators funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes through various channels, attempting to mask the corrupt payments with terms like "commissions" and "fees." Zaglin, the former owner of Atlanco LLC, catered to security agencies by supplying uniforms and other goods. Despite efforts to disguise the bribes with nicknames and sham agreements, communications through personal emails and encrypted apps did not evade detection by U.S. investigators.
The details of the trial were further illuminated in a report by the U.S. Department of Justice. Evidence presented at trial showed that Zaglin orchestrated the bribe payments to high-level officials within TASA, a Honduran governmental entity responsible for the procurement of supplies for national security agencies. The scheme, facilitated through third-party intermediary Aldo Nestor Marchena, involved multiple guilty pleas from Honduran officials who also partook in the illicit exchanges.
“Instead of playing by the rules, Carl Zaglin unfairly sought to get ahead and enrich himself by paying bribes to Honduran officials,” Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division stated. Zaglin now faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for the money-laundering charge, and up to five years for each FCPA count. Sentencing will be influenced by U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, among other considerations. The investigation received international cooperation, with authorities in Belize, Colombia, and Spain contributing to the case, as per the U.S. Department of Justice.
