Miami, FL – A multinational voting technology company and several of its executives have been charged in a sweeping federal indictment alleging a multimillion-dollar bribery and money laundering conspiracy tied to the 2016 Philippine national elections.
Prosecutors say SGO Corporation Limited, widely known as Smartmatic, funneled more than $1 million in bribes to a senior Philippine official to secure lucrative election contracts and financial advantages.
A federal grand jury in Miami returned a superseding indictment charging the company, three of its executives, and former Philippine Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Chairman Juan Andres Donato Bautista. The four men were initially charged in August 2024.
According to the indictment, from 2015 to 2018, Roger Alejandro Piñate Martinez, 50, of Boca Raton, and Jorge Miguel Vasquez, 64, of Davie, worked with others to make illegal payments to Bautista. Prosecutors allege the bribes were used to obtain business from COMELEC and secure favorable tax reimbursements and contract payments for Smartmatic and its affiliates.
Complex financial network uncovered
Investigators say the conspirators inflated the cost of voting machines used in the 2016 election to fund a secret slush account, which was then used to pay the bribes. The illicit money was allegedly moved through a network of shell contracts, fraudulent invoices, and international bank accounts spanning Asia, Europe, and the United States.
Charges and penalties
SGO Corporation Limited, Piñate, and Vasquez face one count of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), while Piñate and Vasquez are also charged with violating the FCPA directly. In addition, the indictment charges Smartmatic, Bautista, Piñate, Vasquez, and Elie Moreno, 45, with conspiracy to commit money laundering and three counts of international laundering of monetary instruments.
If convicted, Bautista, Piñate, Vasquez, and Moreno each face up to 20 years in federal prison for each money laundering charge. Piñate and Vasquez face an additional five years per count for the FCPA-related offenses. Authorities say Bautista and Moreno remain fugitives.
U.S. and Philippine authorities coordinated probe
The investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations’ El Dorado Task Force in Miami, with assistance from IRS Criminal Investigation. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and Philippine law enforcement agencies also assisted in uncovering the scheme.
U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida said the charges “underscore the Department’s commitment to pursuing corruption that crosses borders and undermines the integrity of democratic institutions.”