Professor Cited as Corruption Expert Is Sentenced for Money Laundering

Bruce Bagley is simply a noted adept connected transgression and corruption successful Latin America, penning books connected the taxable and serving arsenic a go-to idiosyncratic for journalists.

But astatine the aforesaid time, prosecutors said, Dr. Bagley, a retired University of Miami professor, was himself progressive successful a bribery and corruption strategy successful Venezuela.

On Tuesday, Dr. Bagley, 75 and successful mediocre health, was sentenced by a national justice successful Manhattan to six months successful situation for wealth laundering.

“I americium ashamed of my irresponsible behavior,” Dr. Bagley said via Zoom earlier Judge Jed Rakoff of U.S. District Court successful Manhattan, according to The Associated Press. “I person spent my beingness arsenic an world moving to recognize and amended conditions successful galore countries successful Latin America, and to beryllium present contiguous is the top departure from the beingness that I person aspired to.”

Dr. Bagley, a erstwhile planetary studies professor, utilized slope accounts successful his sanction and that of a institution helium created successful Florida to launder astir $2.5 million, keeping a committee for himself, prosecutors said. They said that helium had personally reaped $192,000 from November 2017 to September 2018 arsenic portion of the scheme, adding that the wealth was “stolen from the citizens of Venezuela.” Dr. Bagley pleaded blameworthy successful June 2020 to 2 counts of wealth laundering, prosecutors said.

Peter Quijano, a lawyer for Dr. Bagley, declined to remark Tuesday. In tribunal papers this month, helium argued for nary situation clip and a condemnation of clip served, noting that the nonviolent transgression was his client’s archetypal transgression conviction, that Dr. Bagley was successful mediocre health, and that helium had an different distinguished vocation arsenic a prof and mentor.

Mr. Quijano besides said that Dr. Bagley had already suffered “severe collateral consequences” arsenic a effect of his conviction: irreparable harm to his vocation and estimation and the accent that affected his woman earlier her decease this year. Mr. Quijano described Dr. Bagley arsenic unfailingly devoted to his wife.

“He is overwhelmed by acheronian thoughts that his arrest, successful fact, hastened her death,” Mr. Quijano wrote successful a sentencing memorandum.

Prosecutors had argued for a condemnation beneath guidelines of 46 to 57 months, but did not specify precisely however overmuch lower. In tribunal papers this month, prosecutors said that though Dr. Bagley’s property and wellness should beryllium taken into consideration, immoderate incarceration was indispensable to service arsenic a deterrent.

In tribunal connected Tuesday, Judge Rakoff said that a condemnation of up to 5 years, arsenic recommended by national guidelines, would beryllium “irrational” and “overly punitive,” according to The A.P. But similar prosecutors, the justice said immoderate incarceration was needed. The justice recommended that Dr. Bagley’s condemnation beryllium served successful a aesculapian facility, according to a Justice Department spokesman.

According to prosecutors, Dr. Bagley opened a slope relationship successful Florida nether his company’s name, Bagley Consultants, successful 2016. But determination was hardly immoderate enactment successful the relationship until a twelvemonth later, erstwhile helium started receiving ample deposits from slope accounts successful the United Arab Emirates and successful Switzerland.

Those accounts ostensibly belonged to a nutrient institution and a wealthiness absorption steadfast but were really controlled by a Colombian nationalist whose wealth came from “the proceeds of overseas bribery and embezzlement stolen from the Venezuelan people,” according to an indictment.

Dr. Bagley knew the root of the wealth and entered into “multiple sham contracts” successful bid to conceal it, according to the indictment.

After each deposit, Dr. Bagley would spell to his slope and get a cashier’s cheque for astir 90 percent of the money, which helium would past springiness to different individual, and ligament the remainder to his idiosyncratic slope account, the indictment said.

In October 2018, the slope closed the company’s relationship due to the fact that of suspicious activity, according to the indictment. But Dr. Bagley opened different relationship successful his sanction that December and continued the strategy until April 2019, receiving astatine slightest 14 amerciable deposits, prosecutors say.

Though Dr. Bagley lives successful Florida and the laundered funds were sent to Florida banks, prosecutors said they were prosecuting the lawsuit successful Manhattan due to the fact that the wealth passed done New York City arsenic it came from abroad.

Prosecutors said a salient Colombian businessman, Alex Saab, was besides progressive successful the scheme. Mr. Saab, known arsenic a fiscal fixer for President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela, was extradited past period by the United States to look money laundering charges on American soil, his lawyer said, making him 1 of the highest-ranking supporters of Mr. Maduro to be taken into American custody.

Dr. Bagley has studied organized transgression successful Latin America for decades and has been published often connected the subject. He edited an world publication released successful 2015 titled “Drug Trafficking, Organized Crime, and Violence successful the Americas Today.” Another publication helium edited, connected the narration betwixt countries and organized crime, was released successful 2019.

Over the years, helium has been quoted galore times successful media reports astir cause trafficking, including successful articles successful The New York Times astir the planetary cause trade and stories from NPR astir the ongoing governmental situation successful Venezuela.