Federal prosecutors have charged a retired U.S. Army colonel with conspiring to bribe Haitian government officials in connection with an $84 million port development project in the impoverished island nation.
The U.S. attorney’s office in Boston said Tuesday that 64-year-old Joseph Baptiste, of Fulton, Maryland, was charged with conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and to commit money laundering. Baptiste, who is a dentist, made an initial appearance in federal court in Maryland later Tuesday.
His lawyer did not immediately respond to a telephone message.
Prosecutors allege Baptiste solicited bribes from undercover FBI agents in Boston who posed as potential investors in Haitian infrastructure projects. He allegedly received $50,000 from undercover agents, which was supposed to be for bribes, but which Baptiste used for personal purposes.
