US Department of Justice, money laundering, bribery, Honduras, Georgia, Homeland Security, Miami, Colombia, US government, American, anti-corruptionThe US Department of Justice has announced the sentencing of Carl Alan Zaglin, a 70-year-old businessman from Marietta, Georgia, to eight years in federal prison for orchestrating an extensive bribery and money laundering scheme aimed at securing lucrative government contracts in Honduras. The case, which spanned several years and involved multiple co-conspirators across various countries, exposes yet another example of how corruption undermines public institutions and distorts international markets for private gain.

Zaglin’s conviction follows a federal trial held in September 2025, during which prosecutors presented detailed evidence of his efforts to bribe high-ranking Honduran officials in exchange for millions of dollars in government procurement contracts. According to court documents, Zaglin-who owned and operated Atlanco LLC, a Georgia-based manufacturer of law enforcement uniforms-played a central role in arranging and authorizing hundreds of thousands of dollars in corrupt payments between March 2015 and November 2019.

The scheme revolved around the Comité Técnico del Fideicomiso para la Administración del Fondo de Protección y Seguridad Poblacional (TASA), a key Honduran government agency responsible for acquiring equipment, uniforms, and other supplies for the Honduran National Police. Prosecutors showed that Zaglin agreed to pay bribes to officials at TASA-including its former Executive Director, Francisco Roberto Cosenza Centeno, and former Titular Director, Juan Ramon Molina-in order to secure preferential access to government contracts.

To disguise the illicit nature of the payments, Zaglin relied on a Florida-based intermediary, Aldo Nestor Marchena. Living at the time in Boca Raton, Marchena served as the conduit between Atlanco and Honduran officials. Through a series of sham invoices that bore little resemblance to legitimate business services, Marchena received approximately $2.5 million in funds authorized by Zaglin. Much of this money was then funneled to Cosenza, Molina, and other officials who could ensure contracts flowed in Atlanco’s direction.

In exchange for these bribes, Atlanco won more than $10 million in TASA procurement contracts. These deals included substantial orders for police uniforms and related equipment-purchases that should have been the result of fair competition but were instead manipulated through corruption. The scheme not only enriched the participants but also compromised the integrity of Honduras’s public procurement system at a time when the country continues to struggle with issues of corruption and transparency.

Zaglin’s co-conspirators had already begun to face the legal consequences of their actions before his trial concluded. Marchena, who played a critical role as the intermediary, pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges related to money laundering. In November 2025, he was sentenced to seven years in federal prison, reflecting the severity of his involvement.

Cosenza and Molina, the Honduran officials who accepted bribe payments in exchange for steering government contracts, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges. Their sentencing is still pending, but prosecutors have indicated that both men could face significant prison time given their positions of authority and the damage their actions caused to public trust.

Zaglin, however, received one of the harshest penalties connected to the case. In addition to his eight-year prison term, he has been ordered to forfeit more than $2 million-funds representing proceeds of the illegal scheme. His conviction serves as a strong reminder that American citizens and companies involved in foreign bribery can face severe consequences under US law, even when their actions take place beyond American borders.

The investigation highlights the increasingly global nature of anti-corruption efforts. Homeland Security Investigations’ Miami Field Office led the inquiry, but the case required extensive collaboration with international partners. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs coordinated with authorities from Belize, Colombia, and Spain to track the movement of funds, identify foreign assets, and secure testimony and evidence from outside the United States.

Such cooperation was essential due to the scheme’s cross-border design: payments were routed through multiple countries, corrupt officials operated abroad, and financial documents were created to obscure the trail of illicit money. The successful prosecution demonstrates the growing capacity of international law enforcement networks to dismantle complex financial crimes, even when conspirators attempt to hide behind national borders.

The case against Zaglin reinforces the US government’s commitment to enforcing the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), a statute designed to prevent American companies and individuals from bribing foreign officials to gain business advantages. While the FCPA has been in place for decades, recent years have seen a notable increase in enforcement activity, particularly in industries involving defense contracts, government procurement, and international manufacturing-sectors where corruption risks are high.

Zaglin’s actions represent precisely the sort of conduct the FCPA was intended to combat: schemes that enable companies to win business through illicit influence rather than legitimate competition. Such actions distort markets, disadvantage honest companies, and perpetuate corruption in nations that may already be struggling to strengthen the rule of law.

The outcome of this case sends a clear message not only to American businesses but also to multinational corporations and executives operating anywhere in the world: corrupt practices carry severe consequences, both financially and criminally. With global cooperation among law enforcement agencies increasing, it is becoming harder for individuals to hide the financial footprints of bribery or evade responsibility by moving operations offshore.

For Honduras, the case also shines a spotlight on the persistent corruption within public institutions-an issue that has long undermined public confidence and hampered governance. The participation of former high-ranking officials such as Cosenza and Molina underscores the need for structural reforms within procurement agencies and for enhanced transparency to help prevent similar schemes in the future.

Carl Alan Zaglin’s eight-year sentence marks the culmination of a multi-year investigation into a sophisticated bribery and money laundering operation that reached across borders and involved high-level officials in two countries. With millions of dollars changing hands and public institutions compromised, the case stands as a powerful reminder of the consequences of corruption-and of the US government’s determination to hold wrongdoers accountable wherever their crimes occur.

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