Donville Inniss, who formerlyserved as minister of industry in Barbados and as a member of theCaribbean nation's Parliament, was arrested in Florida earlier thismonth. (Photo: Fotolia)

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The former Minister of Industry of Barbados has been arrested andcharged in an indictment with laundering bribes that he allegedlyreceived from an insurance company headquartered in Barbados, inexchange for official actions he took to secure governmentcontracts for the insurance company.

Donville Inniss, a U.S. legal permanent resident who resided inTampa, Florida and Barbados, was charged in an indictment with onecount of conspiracy to launder money and two counts of moneylaundering.

Federal grand jury sitting in New York

The indictment was returned under seal by a federal grand jurysitting in Brooklyn, New York.

The indictment alleged that in 2015 and 2016, Inniss took partin a scheme to launder into the United States approximately $36,000in bribes that he received from high level executives of aBarbadian insurance company.

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At the time, Inniss was a member of the Parliament of Barbadosand the Minister of Industry, International Business, Commerce, andSmall Business Development of Barbados.

Insurance company allegedly received 2 government contracts

As alleged, in exchange for the bribes, Inniss leveraged hisposition as the Minister of Industry to enable the Barbadianinsurance company to obtain two government contracts.

To conceal the bribes, Inniss arranged to receive them through aU.S. bank account in the name of a dental company that had anaddress in Elmont, New York, according to prosecutors.

Related: Former NYPD officer sentenced to 2 year in prisonfor auto insurance fraud

Steven A. Meyerowitz, Esq., ([email protected])is the director of FC&S Legal, the editor-in-chief of theInsurance Coverage Law Report, and the founder and president ofMeyerowitz Communications Inc.