U.S. authorities on Wednesday charged two former top officials of the government of Bolivia in connection to an international bribery and money laundering scheme. Arturo Carlos Murillo Prijic, the former minister of the government of Bolivia, and Sergio Rodrigo Mendez Mendizabal, the former chief of staff of the Ministry of Government of Bolivia, face up to 20 years on money laundering charges as part of a bribery scheme designed to secure a Bolivian Ministry of Defense contract for a U.S. firm, according to the Department of Justice. An attorney for Murillo did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Mendez did not have an attorney listed as of Wednesday night. Mendez and Murillo allegedly received the bribes and used the U.S. financial system to launder the illicit funds. According to the indictment (pdf), Luis Berkman, Bryan Berkman, and Philip Lichtenfeld paid Murillo, Mendez, and another Bolivian government official $602,000 in bribes. “The bribes …