On February 5, 2016, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled that Dominican Republic United Nations envoy Francis Lorenzo cannot claim diplomatic immunity to avoid prosecution on bribery charges. A news article describes Lorenzo’s participation in the alleged bribery stating, “he was involved in paying off [former UN General Assembly President John Ashe] to introduce business before the U.N. that would further a businessman’s real estate project.” According to a second news report, the court found that Lorenzo’s status as a permanent resident of the U.S. and a naturalized citizen prevent him from claiming the entire range of diplomatic immunity protections. The court further ruled that Lorenzo did not meet the criteria for full diplomatic immunity, stating that “[a]t no time between recognizing Lorenzo’s position as a representative to the United Nations and the filing of the Indictment has the Department of State acknowledged or granted Lorenzo diplomatic immunity . . . . Nor did Lorenzo enjoy any of the accoutrements that would normally accompany diplomatic immunity, such as tax exempt status, diplomatic license plates, or a State Department-issued driver’s license.”