Bravo Tactical Solutions LLC ("Bravo") was a Florida company that sold tactical equipment to law enforcement and military agencies, including the Bolivian Ministry of Defense.
Bravo was owned by Bryan Samuel Berkman.
Luis Berkman was Bryan's father and a resident of Georgia.
Arturo Carlos Murillo Prijic was a Bolivian citizen who was the Minister of Government of Bolivia.
Sergio Rodrigo Mendez Mendizabal was a Bolivian citizen and was the Chief of Staff for the Bolivian Ministry of Government.
Philip Lichtenfeld, an American citizen who resided in Argentina, was an associate of Bryan, Luis and Mendez.
According to the documents in this case, between November 2019 and April 2020, the Berkmans and Lichtenfeld paid $602,000 in bribes to Murillo, Mendez, and another Bolivian government official. The bribes were paid so that Bravo would obtain an approximately $5.6 million contract to provide to the Bolivian Ministry of Defense with tear gas and other non-lethal equipment.
On May 20, 2021, the DOJ filed a complaint in the Southern District of Florida against the Berkmans, Mendez, and Lichtenfeld alleging a conspiracy to launder money. The case was then separated into four separate cases, each with its own docket. Murillo was charged in a separate proceeding.
On September 7, 2021, the DOJ filed a single count information against Luis alleging a conspiracy to commit money laundering, and on September 29, 2021, Luis entered into a plea agreement with the DOJ. On February 23, 2022, the court entered a preliminary order of forfeiture against Berkman, under which the court ordered Berkman to forfeit approximately $139,000 in U.S. currency as well as his interest in two pieces of real property. A total forfeiture value of $875,000 was stipulated in the plea agreement. On June 9, 2022, the court sentenced Berkman to 38 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. The court further ordered Berkman to complete 300 hours of community service per year of supervised release and to pay a mandatory assessment of $100.
