The son-in-law of Federated States of Micronesia President Peter Christian on Tuesday pleaded guilty to money laundering before a federal court in Hawaii, according to HawaiiNewsNow.
Based on the U.S. District Court of Hawaii’s calendar, Master Halbert appeared before Judge Susan Oki Mollway at 11:15 a.m. on April 2 for his arraignment.
Halbert, 44, was arrested in Honolulu in February after being charged in connection with the bribery case against the Hawaiian businessman Frank James Lyon who retained U.S.-funded FSM engineering contracts worth $7.8 million.
Halbert, the son of former Sen. Dohsis Halbert, was the assistant secretary of Civil Aviation, an office under the FSM Department of Transportation Communications and Infrastructure which is in charge of FSM's aviation programs and airport management.
He is accused of receiving bribes from Lyon in exchange for securing engineering and project management contracts for Lyon Associates Engineering Company.
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Besides the undetermined amount of cash, Halbert allegedly received a pickup truck, a trip to Las Vegas, and tuition at UH Manoa, according to court documents, which were unsealed on Feb. 12.
The court has yet to unseal the filings involving another Micronesian official implicated in the bribery scandal. It remained unclear if Halbert entered into a deal to cooperate with prosecution on resolving the case.
The court has yet to unseal the filings involving another Micronesian official implicated in the bribery scandal. It remained unclear if Halbert entered into a deal to cooperate with prosecution on resolving the case.