A former oil and gas trader from Connecticut, Glenn Oztemel, was sentenced to 15 months in prison for his involvement in a scheme to bribe Brazilian officials and launder money over nearly eight years. Oztemel, 66, of Westport, was also fined $300,000.
Court documents and evidence presented at trial revealed that Oztemel paid more than $1 million in bribes to officials at Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras), Brazil’s state-owned oil company. These payments were made in exchange for confidential information such as competitor bids and pricing details from other U.S. companies. This gave Arcadia Fuels Ltd. and Freepoint Commodities LLC an advantage in securing fuel oil contracts with Petrobras.
Oztemel and his associates arranged for Arcadia and Freepoint to make corrupt payments disguised as consulting fees or commissions to Eduardo Innecco, an intermediary who would then pay part of those funds to Brazilian officials, including Rodrigo Berkowitz, a Petrobras trader based in Houston. The conspirators used coded language like “breakfast” and “freight deviation,” personal email accounts, encrypted messaging apps, disposable phones, and fictitious names such as “Spencer Kazisnaf” and “Nikita Maksimov” to conceal the scheme.
In September 2024, Oztemel was convicted on charges including conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), conspiracy to commit money laundering, three counts of violating the FCPA, and two counts of money laundering.
In December 2023, Freepoint admitted it had bribed Brazilian officials in violation of anti-bribery laws. The company entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut. As part of this resolution, Freepoint agreed to pay more than $98 million in penalties and forfeiture.
The announcement about Oztemel’s sentencing was made by Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti; U.S. Attorney David X. Sullivan for the District of Connecticut; and FBI Los Angeles Field Office Assistant Director Akil Davis.
The case was investigated by the FBI Los Angeles Field Office’s International Corruption Squad with assistance from authorities in Brazil, Latvia, Switzerland, Uruguay, as well as the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.
Prosecution was led by Trial Attorneys Allison McGuire and Clayton P. Solomon from the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section along with Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael McGarry for the District of Connecticut.
The Fraud Section investigates violations related to FCPA and Foreign Extortion Prevention Act matters; further information is available at www.justice.gov/criminal/fraud/fcpa.
