U.S. Bribery Trial Summaries

U.S. Businessman on Trial for Paying Bribes to U.S.-backed Honduran Coup Government

U.S. businessman Carl Alan Zaglin, the CEO of Atlanco, a Georgia-based military and police equipment supplier, will stand trial in the Southern District of Florida. Zaglin is charged with conspiring to commit money laundering and violating the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). Together with his co-conspirators, Zaglin paid over $2 million in bribes to secure multi-million dollar contracts with the Honduran narco-dictatorship via the Security Tax (Tasa de Seguridad or TASA).

This trial against Zaglin demonstrates how TASA was created to benefit U.S. security companies but also how U.S. and Canadian companies benefitted from the post-coup governments in Honduras. “Business as usual” under the U.S and Canada-backed narco-dictatorship involved corrupt practices often to the benefit of U.S. and Canadian companies operating in Honduras. The U.S. charges and criminal case against Zaglin is unique as many foreign companies with similar practices operate in impunity and are never held accountable.