Mistrial in the case of foreign bribe from FBI sting (AP)

WASHINGTON – the jurors were too divided to reach a verdict in the first U.S. case involving an undercover sting operation to catch the corruption of foreign officials, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon declared a mistrial Thursday.

Businessmen last year 22 selling military equipment were arrested at a trade show in Las Vegas where they anticipated collecting checks for deliveries that they sent in support of Gabon's presidential guard.

But no officials from the Central African nation were really involved in the deal fake 15 million dollars which included a 1.5 million dollar "Commission" to the Minister of defence. The contracts were represented by the FBI.

Four men on trial in the first indictment by sting said it was not clear that the Commission was illegal because the corruption of the word was never used. Prosecutors said after the judge declared a mistrial that they plan to retry the case. Still others arrested in sting are awaiting trial.

The sting is designed to enforce the 1977 Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which fell from infrequent use. The first use of an undercover sting was part of a push of the Department of Justice that sent the number of prosecutions surge in recent years. The sting released the largest group of individuals ever charged for FCPA violations related.

The defendants and the positions they held at the time of the sting are:

_ Briton Pankesh Patel of Quartermaster Ltd., a company based in the United Kingdom selling military and uniform application of law.

_ John Benson Wier III, President of St. Petersburg, Florida, SRT Supply Inc., which sells tactical and ballistic equipment.

_ Andrew Bigelow of University Park, Florida, managing partner and Director of government programs for Heavy Metal, Armory that sells machine guns, grenade launchers and other weapons.

_ Lee Tolleson Director of mountain home, Ark., acquisitions and logistics for ALS Technologies, a company that sells the police and military equipment.

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