Georgia Businessman Indicted in International Bribery Scheme

Georgia Businessman Indicted in International Bribery Scheme
A gavel and a block is pictured at the George Glazer Gallery antique store in this illustration picture taken in Manhattan, New York City

MIAMI, FL — An indictment unsealed on Wednesday charges three men, including a Georgia businessman and a former Honduran government official, in a bribery and money laundering operation involving Honduran National Police contracts.

Carl Alan Zaglin, 68, owner of a Georgia-based law enforcement uniform manufacturer, Francisco Roberto Cosenza Centeno, 65, ex-Executive Director of TASA, a Honduran entity procuring goods for the National Police, and Aldo Nestor Marchena, 50, formerly of Boca Raton, Florida, are implicated in the scheme.

From March 2015 to November 2019, the accused allegedly bribed Honduran officials, including Cosenza, to secure over $10 million in contracts with TASA. They purportedly used proceeds from these contracts to pay bribes and laundered money through U.S. and Belize accounts.

The indictment details over $166,000 transferred to accounts controlled by Cosenza and another Honduran official as part of the scheme.

Charges include conspiracy to commit money laundering, money laundering, engaging in transactions with criminally derived property, and violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). Maximum penalties range from five to 20 years in prison for various offenses.

The announcement was made by Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe, and HSI Miami’s Special Agent in Charge Anthony Salisbury. HSI Miami, with HSI Atlanta’s assistance, is investigating, led by trial attorneys Peter L. Cooch, Anthony Scarpelli, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Eli S. Rubin.