VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., Dec. 16 (UPI) -- A Virginia engineering firm executive has been charged with paying more than $200,000 to Panamanian government officials for maritime contracts, records showed.
John W. Warwick, 63, president of Ports Engineering Consultants Corp. in Virginia Beach, faces a federal grand jury indictment of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot reported Wednesday.
Warwick and an alleged co-conspirator, Charles Jumet, are accused of paying for deals to maintain buoys and lighthouses on Panama's waterways, the newspaper said.
Panamanian authorities gave the company a 20-year no-bid contract but rescinded it when the alleged bribe was disclosed.
Jumet pleaded guilty last month to related charges. His sentencing is scheduled for February.
Warwick is not being held and does not yet have a court date.
