Company Agrees to Cease Operations and Dissolve
WASHINGTON, March 17- Nexus Technologies Inc., a Philadelphia-based export company, pleaded guilty today in connection with a conspiracy to bribe officials of the Vietnamese government in exchange for lucrative contracts to supply equipment and technology to Vietnamese government agencies, in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Michael L. Levy for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and Janice K. Fedarcyk, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Philadelphia Field Office. The president and owner of the company, Nam Nguyen, and his siblings and fellow Nexus personnel, Kim Nguyen and An Nguyen, also pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Court Judge Timothy J. Savage in connection with the conspiracy.
Nexus; Nam Nguyen, 54, of Houston and Vietnam; Kim Nguyen, 41, of Philadelphia; and An Nguyen, 34, of Philadelphia, were charged in a superseding indictment on Oct. 30, 2009, with conspiracy, violations of the FCPA, violations of the Travel Act in connection with commercial bribes and money laundering. Nexus pleaded guilty today to all the charges filed against the company in the superseding indictment. Nam and An Nguyen each pleaded guilty to conspiracy, a substantive FCPA violation, a violation of the Travel Act and money laundering. Kim Nguyen pleaded guilty to conspiracy, a substantive FCPA violation and money laundering. Former Nexus partner Joseph T. Lukas pleaded guilty on June 29, 2009, to conspiracy and to violating the FCPA.
According to court documents, Nexus was a privately-owned export company that identified U.S. vendors for contracts opened for bid by the Vietnamese government and other companies operating in Vietnam. The contracts allowed for the purchase of a wide variety of equipment and technology, including underwater mapping equipment, bomb containment equipment, helicopter parts, chemical detectors, satellite communication parts and air tracking systems. According to court documents, Nam Nguyen negotiated the contracts and bribes with the Vietnamese government agencies and employees. Kim Nguyen, vice president of Nexus, oversaw the U.S. operations and handled company finances. An Nguyen identified U.S. vendors to supply the goods needed to fulfill the contracts.
In connection with the guilty pleas, Nexus and the Nguyens admitted that from 1999 to 2008 they agreed to pay, and knowingly paid, bribes in excess of $250,000 to Vietnamese government officials in exchange for contracts with the agencies and companies for which the bribe recipients worked. The defendants admitted that the bribes were falsely described as "commissions" in the company's records. In pleading guilty, Nexus also acknowledged that, as a company, it operated primarily through criminal means and agreed to cease operations as a condition of the guilty plea.
At sentencing, scheduled for July 13, 2010, Nexus faces a maximum fine of $27 million. Nam and An Nguyen each face a maximum sentence of 35 years in prison. Kim Nguyen faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.
The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Kathleen M Hamann of the Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The case was investigated by the Philadelphia and New Jersey field offices of the FBI and the U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Export Enforcement.
The Justice Department acknowledges and expresses its appreciation for the assistance provided by the authorities of the Independent Commission Against Corruption of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Teamsters Urge Passage of Jason's Law
Hoffa Supports Rep. Tonko Bill To Create More Rest Areas for Tired Truckers
WASHINGTON, March 17- Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa today announced the Teamsters' support for Jason's Law, which would help alleviate the shortage of parking for tired long-haul truckers.
The bill is named after Jason Rivenburg, a long-haul truck driver who was murdered last year after he stopped to rest at an abandoned gas station in South Carolina. A news conference was scheduled today by the bill's sponsor, Rep. Paul Tonko, D-N.Y., and Jason Rivenburg's widow Hope.
"For many of our members, the highway is their workplace and we want to make sure it's safe," Hoffa said. "It's unusual for Teamsters to sleep in their trucks because they're covered by a good union contract, but if they do get tired they should have a safe place to pull over. And tired truckers pose as much of a threat to Teamster drivers as they do to the rest of the driving public.
"Whether it's keeping dangerous Mexican trucks off the highway or making sure tired drivers have a protected place to rest, safety is a top priority for us."
Hoffa thanked Rep. Tonko and Rep. Erick Paulsen, R-Minn., for sponsoring the legislation.
The bill, H.R. 2156, would authorize funds for constructing safe new rest areas where commercial truckers can park. It would also help pay for expansion and safety improvements at existing rest areas.
Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., introduced a companion bill (S.971) in the U.S. Senate.
Founded in 1903, the Teamsters Union represents more than 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.
WASHINGTON, March 17- Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa today announced the Teamsters' support for Jason's Law, which would help alleviate the shortage of parking for tired long-haul truckers.
The bill is named after Jason Rivenburg, a long-haul truck driver who was murdered last year after he stopped to rest at an abandoned gas station in South Carolina. A news conference was scheduled today by the bill's sponsor, Rep. Paul Tonko, D-N.Y., and Jason Rivenburg's widow Hope.
"For many of our members, the highway is their workplace and we want to make sure it's safe," Hoffa said. "It's unusual for Teamsters to sleep in their trucks because they're covered by a good union contract, but if they do get tired they should have a safe place to pull over. And tired truckers pose as much of a threat to Teamster drivers as they do to the rest of the driving public.
"Whether it's keeping dangerous Mexican trucks off the highway or making sure tired drivers have a protected place to rest, safety is a top priority for us."
Hoffa thanked Rep. Tonko and Rep. Erick Paulsen, R-Minn., for sponsoring the legislation.
The bill, H.R. 2156, would authorize funds for constructing safe new rest areas where commercial truckers can park. It would also help pay for expansion and safety improvements at existing rest areas.
Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., introduced a companion bill (S.971) in the U.S. Senate.
Founded in 1903, the Teamsters Union represents more than 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.
Georgia Man Pleads Guilty to Production of Child Pornography
WASHINGTON, March 17 - Jeffrey Alan Wasley of Kennesaw, Ga., pleaded guilty today to production of child pornography related to surreptitiously videotaping young boys using public restrooms in Atlanta-area establishments, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia Sally Quillian Yates.
Wasley, 38, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Clarence Cooper to producing child pornography. According to court documents and information presented at today's plea hearing, Wasley was a church youth counselor and former performing magician who stalked young boys in retail stores and children's attractions. When Wasley observed young boys entering a restroom unaccompanied by an adult, he admitted he would also enter and secretly videotape the boys.
In July 2008, Wasley victimized five and seven year-old brothers in the men's restroom of a store in Kennesaw, according to information filed with the court and discussed at the plea hearing. These boys reported Wasley's conduct to their mother, who in turn notified store security. According to court documents, store security and Cobb County police were able to identify a likely suspect from store surveillance footage. When store security observed this same individual in the store several days later, they followed him to his car and noted his car's tag number, which was linked to Wasley. A subsequent search of Wasley's home yielded a computer containing six videos Wasley admitted he produced of boys in public restrooms, along with thousands of additional images of child pornography that Wasley had downloaded from the Internet.
Sentencing has been scheduled for June 10, 2010. At sentencing, Wasley faces a minimum mandatory prison term of 15 years, a maximum term of 30 years, a fine of up to $250,000 and the possibility of a lifetime period of supervised release.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and the Cobb County Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert McBurney and Francey Hakes of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia and Trial Attorney Andrew McCormack of the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section.
Wasley, 38, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Clarence Cooper to producing child pornography. According to court documents and information presented at today's plea hearing, Wasley was a church youth counselor and former performing magician who stalked young boys in retail stores and children's attractions. When Wasley observed young boys entering a restroom unaccompanied by an adult, he admitted he would also enter and secretly videotape the boys.
In July 2008, Wasley victimized five and seven year-old brothers in the men's restroom of a store in Kennesaw, according to information filed with the court and discussed at the plea hearing. These boys reported Wasley's conduct to their mother, who in turn notified store security. According to court documents, store security and Cobb County police were able to identify a likely suspect from store surveillance footage. When store security observed this same individual in the store several days later, they followed him to his car and noted his car's tag number, which was linked to Wasley. A subsequent search of Wasley's home yielded a computer containing six videos Wasley admitted he produced of boys in public restrooms, along with thousands of additional images of child pornography that Wasley had downloaded from the Internet.
Sentencing has been scheduled for June 10, 2010. At sentencing, Wasley faces a minimum mandatory prison term of 15 years, a maximum term of 30 years, a fine of up to $250,000 and the possibility of a lifetime period of supervised release.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and the Cobb County Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert McBurney and Francey Hakes of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia and Trial Attorney Andrew McCormack of the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section.
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