Miami, Fla. – May 28, 2020 – GrayRobinson's Miami law firm office white collar criminal defense attorney Brian Bieber, shareholder, was quoted in the Global Investigations Review article, "Eleventh Circuit Confirms PetroEcuador is Not a Victim." The article discusses how Ecuador’s state-owned oil company, PetroEcuador, has been struck down in its attempt to seek compensation over a corruption scheme. The US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit said that PetroEcuador cannot be considered a victim of a bribery scheme. The Eleventh Circuit denied the company’s petition, agreeing with rulings from the lower courts that PetroEcuador couldn’t be compensated because it was complicit in "pervasive, constant and consistent" wrongdoing at the company. PetroEcuador has made a several attempts to seek compensation for losses it says it suffered because of its own officials’ corruption. The Eleventh Circuit denied PetroEcuador’s petition in two separate cases regarding Juan Andrés Baquerizo Escobar and Jose Melquiades Cisneros Alarco. Cisneros, a Florida businessman, was sentenced in February to 20 months in prison.
Bieber, who represents Mr. Cisneros Alarcon, expounds in the article, "The Eleventh Circuit followed the letter of the well-established United States Constitutional law in this case and effectively said 'No' to PetroEcuador’s attempt at a 'money grab'. Being a corporation solely owned by Ecuador, the company PetroEcuador is not a 'victim' under the laws of our country." Read the full article here. (subscription required)