Ex-Banker Pleads Guilty in $16M International Bribery and Money Laundering Scheme Involving Former Comptroller General of Ecuador

A Miami man pleaded guilty yesterday for his role in a multimillion-dollar international bribery and money laundering scheme.

According to court documents, John Christopher Polit, 43, a former banker, laundered the bribe proceeds paid for the benefit of his father, Carlos Ramon Polit Faggioni, the former Comptroller General of Ecuador, through the U.S. financial system and into various investments in South Florida. From approximately 2010 to 2015, Carlos Polit solicited and received bribe payments from Odebrecht S.A., the Brazil-based construction conglomerate, in exchange for using his official position to remove fines and not impose fines in order to benefit Odebrecht and its business in Ecuador. Additionally, Carlos Polit received a bribe from an Ecuadorian businessman in or around 2015 in exchange for assisting the businessman and his company in connection with certain contracts from the state-owned insurance company of Ecuador.

Between approximately 2010 and 2018, John Polit helped his father launder these bribe proceeds. John Polit caused the bribe proceeds to “disappear” by layering transactions through Panamanian accounts of intermediary companies and using Florida companies registered in the names of certain associates. John Polit used the laundered funds from his father’s bribery scheme to purchase and renovate real estate in South Florida and elsewhere and to purchase restaurants, a dry cleaner, and other businesses.

John Polit pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 30, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

On Oct. 1, Carlos Polit was sentenced to 10 years in prison following his April trial conviction.

Odebrecht S.A. pleaded guilty in December 2016 to conspiring to violate the anti-bribery provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) in connection with a broader scheme to pay nearly $800 million in bribes to public officials in 12 countries, including Ecuador.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida; and Special Agent in Charge Anthony Salisbury of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami made the announcement.

The HSI Miami Field Office’s El Dorado Task Force is investigating this case. The FBI’s International Corruption Squad investigated the Odebrecht case and provided substantial assistance in this case.

The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs also provided substantial assistance. The Justice Department thanks Ecuadorian law enforcement authorities for their assistance with the investigation.

Trial Attorney Jil Simon and Assistant Chief Alexander Kramer of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Senior Litigation Counsel Michael N. Berger for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case.

The Fraud Section is responsible for investigating and prosecuting FCPA and Foreign Extortion Prevention Act matters. Additional information about the Justice Department’s FCPA enforcement efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal/fraud/fcpa.