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Retired US Army Colonel Charged in Haitian Bribery Scheme

by Associated Press

   BOSTON --

   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 is a dentist. He is scheduled for 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. Prosecutors say he received $50,000 from undercover agents
   and used it for personal purposes.