A Florida federal judge sentenced an Ecuadorian businessman living in Miami to just under three years in prison Thursday for his role in a $4.4 million bribery and money laundering scheme that involved paying off officials of Ecuador’s state-owned oil company through a shell company in Florida.
U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith varied downward significantly from the recommended guidelines of 108 to 135 months in handing down a 35-month sentence for Armengol Alfonso Cevallos Diaz, 58, who pled guilty in January 2020 to one count of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
As part of the sentence, Cevallos will also have to serve three years of supervised release and has agreed to be deported following his prison term. The judge also imposed a $35,000 fine.
To read the full story on Law 360, click here.
