Two Mexicans, residents of Texas, accused of bribing Pemex officials
Defendants offered approximately $150,000 in luxury items to oil company officials to obtain contracts
The Department of Justice officially indicted two Mexican businessmen, both residents of Texas, for allegedly bribing officials of Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) between 2019 and 2021, to rig bids and obtain millions of dollars in lucrative contracts.
Through bribes of approximately $150,000, the businessmen offered luxury items to oil company officials, and thus obtained contracts worth at least $2.5 million.
The defendants, foreign citizens residing in the United States, allegedly bribed Mexican officials to manipulate the bidding process and obtain millions of dollars in lucrative contracts and other advantages. stated Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department's Criminal Division.
This indictment should send a clear message: the Criminal Division will not tolerate those who enrich corrupt officials for personal gain and to the detriment of a fair market, he insisted.
According to court documents, Ramon Alexandro Rovirosa Martinez, 46, of The Woodlands, Texas, a Mexican citizen and legal permanent resident of the United States, and Mario Alberto Avila Lizarraga, 61, of Spring, Texas, a Mexican citizen and legal permanent resident of the United States, along with others, allegedly conspired to pay bribes to PEMEX and PEP officials to obtain and retain business from PEMEX and PEP for companies associated with Rovirosa.
Between at least 2019 and at least 2021, Rovirosa, Avila, and their accomplices allegedly offered bribes in the form of items luxury goods, including Louis Vuitton and Hublot, cash payments, and other valuable items, to at least three PEMEX and PEP officials in exchange for them taking certain actions to help companies associated with Rovirosa obtain and retain business with PEMEX and PEP.
These improper advantages helped companies associated with Rovirosa obtain contracts with PEMEX and PEP worth at least $2.5 million. Additionally, according to court documents, Rovirosa is alleged to have ties to members of Mexican cartels.
Thus, Rovirosa and Avila are each charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and three material violations of the FCPA.
If convicted, each faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for each count.
A federal judge will determine the sentence after considering the US Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.