The 11-count federal indictment was unsealed on Friday.
Greenbelt, Md (KM) A Mount Airy man has been indicted for an alleged scheme involving the bribery of an official at Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corporation in order to win nuclear fuel transportation contracts. . The US Attorney’s Office for Maryland says Mark Lambert, 54, is charged in an 11-count indictment which was unsealed on Friday.
In a statement, federal officials say Lambert is indicted for one count of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and one count to commit wire fraud. He’s also charged with seven counts of violating the FCPA, two counts of wire fraud and one count of intentional promotion of money laundering.
Lambert is the former co-president of a Maryland-based transportation company which provides services for transportation of nuclear materials to customers in the United States and other countries. The company is identified as “Transportation Corporation A” He’s currently the founder and owner of Dragon Distillery in Frederick.
Federal prosecutors, in their statement, say Lambert’s charges come from an alleged scheme to bribe Vadim Mikerin, a Russian official with JSC Techsnabexport (TENEX) which is a subsidiary of Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corporation, and the only supplier and exporter of Russian Federation uranium and uranium enrichment services to nuclear power companies across the world. He was hoping to secure contracts with TENEX.
The Frederick News Post quotes Lambert’s attorney as saying he and his client “categorically reject the charges.”
According to federal officials, between early 2009 and continuing until October, 2014, Lambert conspired with others at “Transportation Corporation A” to make corrupt and fraudulent bribery and kickback payments to offshore bank accounts and shell companies at the direction of and on behalf of the Russian official, Mikerin, to secure improper business advantages and retain business with TENEX. They say Lambert and others caused fake invoices to be prepared, purportedly from TENEX to “Transportation Corporation A,” which described services that were never provided. In addition, prosecutors say Lambert and his co-defendants caused “Transportation Corporation A” to wire corrupt payments to shell companies in Latvia, Cyprus and Switzerland. The indictment also alleges “Transportation Corporation A” overbilled TENEX by including the cost of corrupt services in its invoices.
Federal officials say the indictments are merely allegations, and all defendants are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Lambert’s co-defendant, Daren Conley, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate FCPA and commit wire fraud. He’s awaiting sentencing. Mikerin pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the FCPA to commit money laundering, and is currently serving a 48-month sentence.
The investigation into this case was conducted by the Department of Energy’s Office of the Inspector General, and the FBI. They also received assistance from law enforcement agencies in Latvia, Cyprus and Switzerland.
By Kevin McManus