BuckleySandler Litigators Achieve Dismissal in FCPA Sting Case

WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwire - Feb 21, 2012) - Today, U.S. federal prosecutors abandoned one of the highest profile Foreign Corrupt Practices Act cases ever brought by the DOJ. Judge Richard Leon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia granted the government's motion to dismiss foreign bribery charges against all remaining defendants facing charges from an FBI sting operation. The defendants were charged with paying bribes to a purported government official from the country of Gabon in connection with contracts to supply Gabon with military and law enforcement products. The government sting operation resulted in the arrests of twenty-two individuals at an industry trade show in Las Vegas in 2010.

In January, partner David Krakoff and counsel Lauren Randell, both with the financial services and criminal and civil enforcement defense law firm BuckleySandler LLP who represented John Mushriqui in the FCPA sting case, successfully obtained a mistrial for Mr. Mushriqui following a nearly four-month jury trial after a federal jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict for Mr. Mushriqui and two other defendants, including his sister Jeana Mushriqui. The dismissal of the charges means that Mr. Mushriqui will not be subjected to a second trial.

"We are extremely pleased that the Department of Justice has decided to do the right thing by moving to dismiss the Indictment against our client, John Mushriqui, ending his two year nightmare. We recognize that this was a difficult decision given the substantial resources that the government invested in this case. It's really hard to take on the government, but when you believe in your innocence and fight for your freedom, these cases can be won. Ultimately, the system worked for John Mushriqui. John can start the rest of his life today with his good name intact," noted Krakoff.

The mistrial ruling followed the same jury's acquittal of two other defendants, and Judge Leon's acquittal of another defendant in December 2011, as well as a July 2011 mistrial involving four other defendants involved in the sting. Between the two Gabon sting trials to date, three defendants were acquitted and seven proceeded to a hung jury. In the face of these outcomes, the government decided to abandon the case with regard to all remaining defendants and will not seek to re-try the defendants whose previous trials ended in a mistrial.

About BuckleySandler LLP: With over 150 lawyers in Washington, DC, Los Angeles, and New York, BuckleySandler provides best-in-class legal counsel to meet the challenges of its financial services industry and other corporate and individual clients across the full-range of government enforcement actions, complex and class action litigation, and transactional, regulatory, and public policy issues. The Firm represents many of the nation's leading financial services institutions. "The best at what they do in the country." (Chambers USA). Online: www.buckleysandler.com / Twitter: https://twitter.com/BuckleySandler.