( CNN ) -- A former FBI special agent in New York and two Connecticut men have been charged for their alleged roles in a bribery scheme to dig up confidential information about a key figure in Bangladeshi politics , the U.S. Attorney 's Office in Manhattan said . Robert Lustyik , 50 , was arrested Friday on an allegation that he and a childhood friend , Johannes Thaler , 49 , solicited cash from a third man in exchange for documents and information to which Lustyik had access to because of his FBI job . The third man was identified as Rizve Ahmed , 34 , also known as `` Caesar . '' Ahmed is an acquaintance of Thaler , both of whom live in Connecticut . Lustyik 's lawyer , Raymond Mansolillo , on Saturday challenged the investigation , which involved the Department of Justice 's public integrity unit , and insisted his client was innocent . At that time , Lustyik was still being held in Utah , his lawyer said . `` We 're going to fight the charges , '' Mansolillo said . `` My client is eager to go to trial . '' According to the four-count criminal complaint , which was unsealed Friday , Lustyik was working for the FBI in its White Plains , New York , office in September 2011 , when he became involved in the scheme , which continued until March 2012 . It alleges that Ahmed , a native of Bangladesh , was seeking confidential law enforcement information , including a confidential Suspicious Activity Report , about a prominent citizen of his country affiliated with a rival political party . The complaint identifies that person only as `` Individual 1 . '' `` Ahmed sought , among other things , to obtain information about Individual 1 , to locate Individual 1 , and to harm Individual 1 and others associated with Individual 1 , '' the complaint says . Ahmed paid at least $ 1,000 to the two other men for information that included a suspicious activity report , according to the complaint . Citing text messages as evidence , it says that Lustyik and Thaler discussed pressuring Ahmed to fork over extra money for the information . `` We need to push ( Ahmed ) for this meeting and get that 40gs quick ... . I will talk us into getting the cash ... . I will work my magic ... . We r sooooooo close '' , says Lustyik in one exchange , which occurred in late December 2011 or early January 2012 , according to the complaint . Thaler is said to have responded , `` I know . It 's all right there in front of us . Pretty soon we 'll be having lunch in our oceanfront restaurant ... . '' Around January 2012 , after learning that Ahmed was considering using someone else to get the information , Lustyik allegedly sent this text to Thaler : `` I want to kill ( Ahmed ) ... . I hung my ass out the window n we got nothing ? ... . Tell ( Ahmed ) , I 've got ( Individual 1 's ) number and I 'm pissed ... . I will put a wire on n get ( Ahmed and his associates ) to admit they want ( a Bangladeshi political figure ) offed n we sell it to ( Individual 1 . ) '' The complaint charges all three men with conspiracy to bribe a public official ; it charges Thaler and Lustyik with soliciting and receiving bribes ; it charges Ahmed with bribing a public official and offering to bribe a public official ; and it charges Lustyik with unlawfully disclosing a suspicious activity report . If convicted , Lustyik faces a maximum prison sentence of 25 years ; Thaler and Ahmed each face a maximum of 20 years . A call to Thaler 's residence was not immediately returned ; CNN was not able to contact Ahmed . In a statement on a website seeking funds for his legal defense , Lustyik 's family described him as `` a highly decorated '' agent with more than 24 years of service in the counterintelligence division , and said he had been `` wrongfully accused . '' CNN 's Greg Botelho contributed to this report .
NEW : `` We are going to fight these charges , '' ex-FBI agent 's lawyer says . Alleged scheme involved selling confidential info . Score: 7 ` ` It 's all right there in front of us , '' suspect allegedly said .