Esteban Eduardo Merlo Hidalgo ("Merlo") was an Ecuadorian and United States dual citizen who resided in Miami, Florida. Merlo operated and controlled two unnamed intermediary companies that were registered in Panama and Ecuador.
Luis Lenin Maldonado Matute ("Maldonado") was an Ecuadorian citizen and Costa Rica resident who served as the President the intermediary Companies.
Cristian Patricio Pintado Garcia ("Pintado") was an Ecuadorian and Italian dual citizen and resident of Costa Rica who worked as the General Manager of the intermediary companies.
According to the documents in this case, Merlo, Maldonado, and Pintado allegedly conspired to pay bribes to officials of Ecuador’s state-owned insurance companies Seguros Sucre S.A. and Seguros Rocafuerte S.A. to obtain and retain business for themselves, the intermediary companies, and reinsurance clients. The intermediary companies also allegedly used portions of the brokerage commission obtained from Seguros Sucre and Seguros Rocafuerte to make the bribe payments. Funds related to the bribery scheme were then allegedly laundered for the personal benefit of Merlo, Maldonado, and Pintado.
On July 12, 2022, the DOJ filed a three count indictment in the Southern District of Florida against Merlo, Maldonado, and Pintado alleging conspiracies to violate the antibribery provisions of the FCPA and to commit money laundering as well as direct violations of the antibribery provisions of the FCPA.
On March 28, 2023, Merlo entered into a plea agreement with the DOJ. On December 19, 2023, the court sentenced Merlo to five months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, the first nine months of which will be served under house arrest. The court further ordered Merlo to pay a fine of $1,000,000 plus a mandatory assessment of $400 and to forfeit $189,532.
Pintado was arrested on March 4, 2025 and arraigned on March 5. On April 23, 2025, Pintado pled guilty. On June 24, 2025, the court sentenced Pintado to time served in prison and three years of supervised release. THe court further ordered Pintado to pay a mandatory assessment of $100 and to forfeit $2,653,720.
This case against Maldonado is ongoing.
