The Piarco Airport fraud case is a civil racketeering lawsuit that the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago brought in Miami against businessman Steve Ferguson and others over a bid-rigging and kickback scheme tied to the construction of Piarco International Airport. After 19 years of litigation, a Florida jury found the defendants liable for about $32 million, which grew to a final judgment of roughly $131.3 million once the state’s racketeering statute tripled the damages and interest was added. The U.S. Supreme Court denied review on April 27, 2026, ending the American civil litigation.
What the Fraud Involved
In September 1996, the Trinidad and Tobago cabinet approved a $1.6 billion project to upgrade Piarco International Airport. A scope that began as six construction contracts eventually expanded to thirteen, and a forensic investigation by Robert Lindquist concluded the contract-selection process had been corrupted from the inside.
Bids were rigged so preferred companies would win at inflated prices. “Shadow companies” submitted artificially high bids to make the chosen contractor look competitive. Fake invoices, duplicate payments, and backdated contracts moved money out of the project. Kickbacks flowed through shell accounts in the Bahamas and bank accounts in Miami, and Miami real estate was purchased for government officials involved in the conspiracy.
Two Florida companies sat at the center of the fraud: Northern Construction Corporation and Calmaquip Engineering Corporation, which handled airport infrastructure contracts including baggage-handling systems and jet bridges. A letter of credit at a Miami bank, held as an asset of the Trinidad and Tobago government to help finance the project, was depleted as part of the scheme.
The Defendants Who Went to Trial
Trinidad and Tobago filed suit in Miami-Dade County Circuit Court in 2004 under Florida’s Civil Remedies for Criminal Practices Act, the state analog to the federal RICO statute. The original complaint named more than forty defendants. Most settled or were dismissed over the following two decades, leaving three to face the jury:
- Steve Ferguson, a Trinidadian businessman who the Republic said orchestrated much of the conspiracy from Miami.
- Brian Kuei Tung, a former Trinidad and Tobago government minister.
- Raul Gutierrez Jr., an American businessman connected to Calmaquip Engineering.
The case was tried before Judge Reemberto Diaz in early 2023. Over roughly three and a half weeks, the jury heard evidence about the bid-rigging conspiracy, money flowing through Miami bank accounts and Bahamian shells, and the use of Florida corporations to carry out the fraud. It found all three defendants liable on four counts: engaging in a pattern of criminal activity under Florida’s RICO statute, conspiracy to obtain proceeds through criminal activity, common-law fraud, and conspiracy to commit fraud. Damages were assessed at $32,385,988.
How the $131 Million Judgment Was Calculated
Florida’s civil racketeering law required Judge Diaz to treble the jury’s damages, bringing the figure to $97,157,964. The court added $38,792,567.72 in prejudgment interest and subtracted $4,631,691.25 to account for amounts already recovered through earlier settlements and restitution payments. The final judgment came to $131,318,840.47. The Republic was also awarded attorney’s fees and costs accumulated over the two decades of litigation.
The Appeal and Why It Failed
Ferguson appealed to Florida’s Third District Court of Appeal. His main argument was jurisdictional: the injury from the conspiracy was felt in Trinidad, not in the United States, so under the U.S. Supreme Court’s framework in RJR Nabisco, Inc. v. European Community, Florida’s RICO statute should not reach the conduct.
The appellate court rejected that argument. It held that Trinidad and Tobago had established a “domestic injury” because critical acts of the conspiracy were devised, initiated, and carried out in Florida. The bid-rigging ran through Miami-based companies. Kickbacks moved through Miami bank accounts. Evidence was destroyed in Florida. And an asset of the Republic held in a Miami bank was depleted. An initial opinion issued in September 2025 was superseded by a final opinion on November 5, 2025, which also denied rehearing, rehearing en banc, and certification to the Florida Supreme Court.
Ferguson then petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court, citing a January 2026 Second Circuit decision, Yerkyn v. Yakovlevich, that he argued reached a contrary conclusion on the domestic-injury question. The Republic waived its right to respond. On April 27, 2026, the Court denied certiorari, closing the last avenue for overturning the judgment in U.S. courts.
What Is Happening in Trinidad’s Own Courts
The Miami civil judgment is separate from the criminal proceedings in Trinidad and Tobago, which have dragged on for years and remain largely unresolved. The local matters are grouped into four cases.
Piarco One focuses on the alleged theft of $19 million, with defendants including Kuei Tung, Ishwar Galbaransingh, former National Security Minister Russell Huggins, and Ferguson. In June 2025, the UK Privy Council upheld an appeal finding that the original committal proceedings were compromised because the presiding magistrate, Sherman McNicolls, was “hopelessly compromised.”
Piarco Two concerns a broader conspiracy. A High Court judge ruled in 2019 that the preliminary inquiry had to restart before a new magistrate after the retirement of the original one.
Piarco Three involved allegations that former Prime Minister Basdeo Panday and his wife received a £25,000 bribe from Galbaransingh. In March 2026, Director of Public Prosecutions Roger Gaspard discontinued the case, citing a low probability of conviction because key witnesses had died.
Piarco Four involves only Renee Pierre, a companion of Kuei Tung. Her preliminary inquiry was completed and she was committed to stand trial.
As of mid-2026, no defendant has been convicted in the Trinidad courts in connection with the Piarco scandal.