A bribery scheme unraveled yesterday with sentences handed down to Johannes Thaler and Rizve Ahmed in White Plains federal court.
Thaler, a 51-year-old New Fairfield, Connecticut resident, received a 30-month prison sentence, while Ahmed, 35, of Danbury, Connecticut, received 42 months. The sentences were imposed by Honorable Vincent L. Briccetti, United States District Judge.
The scheme involved bribery with a third defendant, former FBI Special Agent Robert Lustyik, who awaits sentencing. According to the Complaint, Indictment, court hearings, and yesterday’s proceedings, Lustyik, Thaler, and Ahmed engaged in a bribery scheme from in or about September 2011 through March 2012.
As part of the scheme, Lustyik and Thaler solicited payments of money from Ahmed, 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.
Thaler and Ahmed were each sentenced for bribery and conspiracy to commit fraud, to which each previously pled guilty. Lustyik, 52, of Westchester County, pled guilty on December 23, 2014, to all five counts in the Indictment in which he is charged.
Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, praised the efforts of the Office of the Inspector General, which conducted the investigation in this case. The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division and by the Public Integrity Section of the U.S. government. Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin Allee and Trial Attorney Emily Rae Woods are in charge of the prosecution.
Related Federal Cases
- Willian Borges, Bribery Scheme, New York 2024 · Florida
- Robert Lustyik, Bribery, New York 2014 · Utah
- Peter Galbraith Kelly Jr., Bribery Scheme, New York 2018 · Washington
- Patrick McCrann, Bribery and Kickback Scheme, New York 2021 · Georgia
- Glenn Griffin, Bribery & Bid Rigging, New York 2024 · Illinois
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Public Corruption
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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