Los Angeles film producers to be sentenced in Thai film festival bribery case

LA film producers to be sentenced in bribery case

LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles filmmaking couple face lengthy prison terms when they’re sentenced Thursday for bribing Thai officials to run a film festival.

Gerald and Patricia Green were convicted in September of conspiracy and money laundering in federal court. Prosecutors say 78-year-old Gerald Green could face more than 30 years in prison, while his 55-year-old wife could receive 19 to 24 years.

Authorities say the pair paid the former governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Juthamas Siriwan, about $1.8 million to help secure the Bangkok International Film Festival and tourism-related deals.

Gerald Green’s credits include “Salvador” and “Rescue Dawn,” while his wife produced “Diamonds,” a comedy starring Kirk Douglas. The 93-year-old actor wrote a letter supporting the Greens.

Juthamas and her daughter, Jittisopa Siriwan, were charged with conspiracy to launder money and eight other counts in an indictment unsealed Tuesday. If convicted, they each face up to 20 years in prison.

It was not immediately clear whether Siriwan and her daughter were in custody or had retained an attorney.

Federal prosecutors said the scheme occurred between 2002 and 2007 and allowed the Greens to run the Bangkok film festival and land other tourism-related deals.

The scheme netted the couple, who inflated their budgets so Juthamas could be paid off, about $13.5 million, authorities said.

The payments, some of which were made in cash to Juthamas directly, were often disguised as sales commissions between 10 percent to 20 percent. Prosecutors added that Juthamas and Jittisopa Siriwan opened bank accounts in Singapore and the United Kingdom to receive the corrupt payments.

The Greens helped transform the festival into a rising star on the international circuit for screening new films, attracting the likes of Michael Douglas, Jeremy Irons and director Oliver Stone to Thailand.

Juthamas Siriwan, who is no longer Thailand’s tourism governor, ran for a parliamentary seat in 2007 but pulled out of the race after the allegations surfaced.

The Greens are the first entertainment industry figures who have been convicted under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, a federal statute prohibiting corrupt payments to foreign officials for business purposes.

Kirk Douglas wrote a letter supporting the Greens, saying the couple “were extremely honest and fair in all of their dealings with me.” Film producers Dino De Laurentiis and Mario Kassar also sent letters to the judge, pledging their support for Gerald Green.