Micronesian government official arrested in Honolulu for ties to bribery scheme
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) -A Micronesian government official was arrested in Honolulu for his alleged connection to a bribery case involving the head of an Oahu engineering firm.
Master Halbert, 44, was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
The criminal complaint alleges that between 2006 and 2016, Frank James Lyon of “Lyon Associates” in Honolulu bribed officials in Micronesia for securing nearly $8 million in contracts. Halbert was allegedly one of those officials.
At the time, Halbert worked in the FSM Department of Transportation, Communications and Infrastructure, and was responsible for administering FSM’s aviation programs and airport management.
In the related matter, 53-year-old Lyon pleaded guilty in January on a count of conspiracy to violate the anti-bribery provisions of the FCPA and to commit federal program fraud. He’s set to be sentenced on May 13.
Halbert is expected to to be in court Wednesday.
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