Danbury Resident Sentenced to Prison for Role in Bribery Scheme

Two Connecticut residents were sentenced to federal prison on Wednesday for their roles in a bribery scheme to obtain confidential, internal law enforcement documents and information from a former FBI Special Agent in White Plains, New York.

Rizve Ahmed, aka “Caesar,” 36, of Danbury and Johannes Thaler, 51, of New Fairfield were sentenced to 42 months in prison and 30 months in prison, respectively, according to a news release from the US Department of Justice. In October 2014, both defendants pleaded guilty to bribery and conspiracy to commit wire fraud and honest services fraud.

In pleading guilty, Thaler and Ahmed admitted that, from September 2011 through March 2012, Thaler and FBI Special Agent Robert Lustyik solicited payments from Ahmed, in exchange for Lustyik’s agreement to provide internal, confidential documents and other confidential information to which Lustyik had access by virtue of his position as an FBI Special Agent. Thaler was Lustyik’s friend, and Ahmed, a native of Bangladesh, was an acquaintance of Thaler. The confidential documents and information pertained to a prominent citizen of Bangladesh who was affiliated with a political party opposing Ahmed’s views. Ahmed requested the confidential information to help him locate and harm his political rival and others associated with the intended victim.

As part of the scheme, Lustyik and Thaler exchanged text messages about how to pressure Ahmed to pay them additional money in exchange for confidential information.

Lustyik pleaded guilty on Dec. 23, 2014, to all five counts against him in the indictment: conspiracy to engage in a bribery scheme; soliciting bribes by a public official; conspiracy to defraud the citizens of the U.S. and the FBI; theft of government property; and unauthorized disclosure of a Suspicious Activity Report. He is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Briccetti on April 30, 2015, at 9:30 a.m.

The case was investigated by the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General, and prosecuted by Trial Attorney Emily Rae Woods of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Allee of the Southern District of New York.

Image via Shutterstock

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