Houston man guilty in kickback scheme

HOUSTON, Sept. 4 (UPI) -- A Houston man pleaded guilty Wednesday in a long-running bribery and kickback scheme involving $6 billion in Nigerian construction contracts.

Albert "Jack" Stanley, 65, a former officer and director of a global engineering, construction and services company based in Houston, pleaded guilty two counts of conspiring to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and two counts of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud by participating in a scheme to bribe Nigerian government officials to obtain contracts and to conspiring to commit mail and wire fraud as part of a separate kickback scheme.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Friedrich said in a statement the contracts to build liquefied natural gas facilities on Bonny Island, Nigeria, were valued at more than $6 billion.

Stanley was the senior representative for his former firm that was part of a four-company joint venture awarded four contracts by Nigeria LNG Ltd. between 1995 and 2004.

Stanley admitted $182 million was paid to two consulting firms that was to be used, in part, to bribe Nigerian government officials and that he received nearly $11 million in kickbacks.

He has agreed to cooperate with law enforcement authorities in their ongoing investigations. No date has been set for his sentencing.