Legal News

Producers allegedly made payoffs to ensure little Dieter flight

By Richard Binder

A closely watched criminal trial begins Aug. 4 in a Los Angeles federal court involving a pair of Beverly Hills film producers.

In a 22-count superseding indictment, federal prosecutors outline a case alleging that Gerald and Patricia Green, whose recent credits include production of the 2006 film ?Rescue Dawn,? made corrupt payments to a Thai foreign official totaling $1.8 million between 2002 and 2006 in order to obtain $14 million worth of contracts. Specifically, prosecutors claim that they arranged payments from a group of businesses they owned in Beverly Hills to Juthamas Siriwan, the former governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, which puts on the Bangkok International Film Festival.

The case is one of the few to go to trial involving violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), particularly in the entertainment industry, which increasingly has depended upon sales in foreign markets. Both have pleaded not guilty to the charges, which, in addition to FCPA violations, include conspiracy and obstruction of justice.

Full story at NLJ.com.

Full post as published by Legal Pad | LA on July 31, 2009 (boomark / email).