UTAH
A federal judge sentenced a former FBI special agent for accepting bribes in exchange for providing confidential law enforcement documents about a prominent citizen of Bangladesh for use by a political rival, according to officials.
Robert Lustyik’s five-year sentence will be served consecutively with a 10-year federal prison given to him in Utah in March for accepting bribes.
Prosecutors described the former FBI agent as someone who “sold his badge” to the “highest bidder,” according to published reports.
Lustyik Jr., 52, was a 24-year veteran of the FBI, officials said.
“I have embarrassed my family,” Lustyik said in court according to the Salt Like Tribune. “I’ve left a black mark on the FBI … I had a stellar career and I ruined it.”
Lustyik, 53, of Westchester County, New York, plead guilty on Dec. 23 to all five counts in the indictment against him, including conspiracy to engage in a bribery scheme, soliciting bribes by a public official, conspiracy to defraud the citizens of the U.S. and the FBI, theft of government property and unauthorized disclosure of a Suspicious Activity Report, according to authorities.
Lustyik was an FBI special agent who worked on the counterintelligence squad in the White Plains Resident Agency, officials said.
Johannes Thaler was Lustyik’s friend and Rizve Ahmed, aka Caesar, was an acquaintance of Thaler.
From September 2011 through March 2012, Lustyik, Thaler and Ahmed engaged in a scheme in which Lustyik and Thaler solicited bribe payments from Ahmed in exchange for the documents.
Ahmed perceived to be a political rival whom Ahmed sought to locate and harm.
As part of the scheme, officials said Lustyik and Thaler exchanged text messages, including messages about how to pressure Ahmed to pay them additional money in exchange for confidential information.
For example, in late December 2011 and early January 2012, Lustyik texted Thaler, “we need to push [Ahmed] for this meeting and get that 40 gs quick . . . . I will talk us into getting the cash . . . . I will work my magic . . . . We r sooooooo close.”
Thaler responded, “I know. It’s all right there in front of us. Pretty soon we’ll be having lunch in our oceanfront restaurant . . . .”
Thaler and Ahmed previously pleaded guilty to bribery and conspiracy to commit fraud and were sentenced on March 5, to serve 30 months and 42 months in prison, respectively.