Knut Hammarskjold ("Hammarskjold") was one of two chief executive officers of PetroTiger, Ltd. ("PetroTiger"), a British Virgin Islands oil and gas company with operations in Colombia and offices in New Jersey.
From about June 2009 to about February 2010, Hammarskjold, together with others, engaged in a fraudulent scheme to obtain kickbacks from the owners of the Target Company that Hammarskjold, two other executives, and their investing partners were seeking to acquire.
From about May 2010 to about December 2010, Hammarskjold and the two other executives, on behalf of PetroTiger, attempted to secure the Mansarovar Contract. Because Ecopetrol, the state-owned and state-controlled petroleum company in Colombia, had ultimate authority for approving projects and contracts to perform oil-related services in Colombia, Hammarskjold and the two other executives were required to obtain approval from Ecopetrol for the Mansarovar Contract. In order to secure Ecopetrol's approval for the Mansarovar Contract, the three, together with others, paid bribes to an Ecopetrol Official, who had the ability to influence the approval process.
On August 11, 2013, the DOJ filed a six count criminal Complaint against Hammarskjold alleging conspiracy to violate the anti-bribery provisions of the FCPA, substantive violations of the FCPA, as well as conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. On February 4, 2014, Hammarskjold pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the wire fraud statute. Hammarskjold was sentenced to time served (just under 22 months) plus two years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a fine of $15,000, restitution of $106,592.93, and a special assessment of $100. In his plea agreement, Hammarskjold also agreed to disgorge $106,592 in property derived from or traceable to the misconduct.
