A US court has sentenced two persons, including a Bangladeshi national, for their involvement in a bribery scheme to obtain confidential information from a former FBI special agent in New York.
Rizve Ahmed, aka Caesar, 36, was jailed for 42 months while US national Johannes Thaler, 51, was sentenced to 30 months in prison.
The sentences were imposed by US District Judge Vincent L Briccetti of the Southern District of New York, according to US Department of Justice.
In October 2014, both defendants pleaded guilty to bribery and conspiracy to commit wire fraud and honest services fraud.
Both Thaler and Rizve admitted to participating in a bribery scheme with Robert Lustyik, a former FBI special agent in White Plains who worked on the counterintelligence squad.
Thaler was Lustyik’s friend, and Rizve was an acquaintance of Thaler.
Rizve sought confidential law enforcement information, including a “Suspicious Activity Report,” pertaining to a Bangladeshi political figure who was affiliated with a political party opposing Rizve’s views.
In pleading guilty, Thaler and Rizve admitted that between September 2011 and March 2012, Thaler and Lustyik solicited bribes from Rizve, in exchange for Lustyik’s agreement to provide internal, confidential documents and other confidential information to which Lustyik had access by virtue of his position as an FBI special agent.
As part of the scheme, Lustyik and Thaler exchanged text messages about how to pressure Ahmed to pay them additional money in exchange for confidential information, stated the US Justice Department press release.
For example, in the text messages, Lustyik told Thaler: “We need to push [Ahmed] for this meeting and get that 40gs quick ... I will talk us into getting the cash ... I will work my magic ... We r sooooooo close.” Thaler responded: “I know. It’s all right there in front of us. Pretty soon we’ll be having lunch in our oceanfront restaurant ....”
The case was investigated by the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General, and prosecuted by Trial Attorney Emily Rae Woods of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant US Attorney Benjamin Allee of the Southern District of New York.