United States v. Richard G. Pitchford (D.D.C. 2002)

• Case Name
• United States v. Richard G. Pitchford (D.D.C. 2002)

• Date Filed
• 09/03/2002

• Enforcement Agency
• DOJ

• Foreign Official
• A British Government Official.

• Date of Conduct
• 1997 to 1998

• Nature of Business
• Former vice-president of a special fund created by U.S. Congress for the development of the private sector in Central Asia received illegal kickbacks in several different schemes.  One scheme provided Pitchford a payment for assisting a British company to acquire a contract to do business in Turkmenistan.  In exchange for cash, Pitchford provided a British government official confidential bid information on a contract in Turkmenistan that enabled the British company to underbid its competitors.  In another scheme, Pitchford and a co-conspirator, Patrick Dickey, at the Central Asia American Enterprise Fund (“Enterprise Fund”) arranged for the investment by the Enterprise Fund in clothing companies in Turkmenistan.  Pitchford and his co-conspirator then arranged for a Pakistani individual to purchase goods from those companies at an inflated price.  The excess funds were transferred back to Pitchford and his co-conspirator.

• Influence to be Obtained
• Assist in obtaining contracts from the Central Asia American Enterprise Fund for Turkmenistan.

• Enforcement
• Pitchford pleaded guilty to conspiracy, theft from a government program, and a violation of the FCPA and was sentenced to a year and a day in prison, to be followed by 3 years supervised release, $400,000 in Restitution, forfeiture of $142,797.95 from bank accounts in New York and a luxury yacht, and 200 hours of community service.

• Amount of the Value
• Approximately $400,000

• Amount of Business Related to Payment
• Approximately $6 million.

• Intermediary
• A Pakistani Citizen.

• Compliance Monitor
• No

• Reporting Requirements
• No

• Case is Pending?
• No

Richard G. Pitchford

• Citation
• United States. v. Pitchford, No. 1:02-cr-00365 (D.D.C. 2002).

• Date Filed
• 09/03/2002

• Filed Under Seal
• No

• FCPA Statutory Provision
• • Conspiracy: Anti-Bribery

• Other Statutory Provision
• Conspiracy (Theft from a Federal Program); Theft from a Federal Program.

• Disposition
• Plea Agreement

• Defendant Jurisdictional Basis
• Domestic Concern, Conspiracy, Agent of Domestic Concern

• Defendant's Citizenship
• United States

• Individual Sanction
• 12-Months and 1-Day Imprisonment, $400,000 in Restitution; $142,797.95 Criminal Forfeiture.