On August 4, 2010, Bobby Jay Elkin Jr., a former executive from tobacco company Dimon Inc., now called Alliance One International, pleaded guilty for his role in a conspiracy to pay bribes to officials of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan. Elkin pleaded guilty to a one-count criminal information charging him with conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). Elkin faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000. A sentencing date has yet to be scheduled.
Elkin admitted to conspiring to pay bribes of more than $3 million to foreign government officials in Kyrgyzstan from 1996 through 2004 for the purpose of securing business advantages for his employer. Elkin admitted to making cash payments to officials of the Kyrgyzstan tobacco authority, an instrumentality of the government, in order to obtain export licenses and to gain access to government-owned tobacco-processing facilities. According to court documents, the payments were based on the number of kilograms of Kyrgyzstan tobacco Elkin’s employer purchased and processed for export. In addition, Elkin admitted he made cash payments to local government officials to obtain permission to purchase tobacco from local growers, and to the Kyrgyzstan Tax Inspection Police to influence their decisions and avoid lengthy tax inspections and penalties.
For previous posts related to Dimon, view: