Douglas Ray, 55, Pleads Guilty to Bribing Mexican Aviation Officials

Douglas Ray, 55, of Magnolia, Texas, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to bribe Mexican government officials in a decade-long scheme to secure lucrative aircraft maintenance contracts. Ray, along with three other U.S.-based businessmen and two former Mexican officials, admitted to funneling millions in bribes to insiders within Mexico’s state-controlled aviation sector—rigging the system to shut out honest competitors.

Ray and Victor Hugo Valdez Pinon, 54, a Mexican citizen, pleaded guilty on October 28 and October 26, 2016, respectively, before U.S. District Judge Alfred H. Bennett in the Southern District of Texas. They admitted to one count of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Kamta Ramnarine, 69, and Daniel Perez, 69, both of Brownsville, Texas, entered guilty pleas on November 2, 2016, before Judge Ricardo H. Hinojosa, to conspiring to violate the FCPA. Ramnarine and Perez are set for sentencing on January 30, 2017; Ray and Valdez Pinon face sentencing on February 23, 2017.

Ernesto Hernandez Montemayor, 55, and Ramiro Ascencio Nevarez, 58, both former officials with Mexican state government entities, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering. Hernandez Montemayor pleaded guilty before Judge Bennett on December 9, 2015, and is scheduled for sentencing on January 12, 2017. Nevarez pleaded guilty before Judge Hinojosa on March 4, 2016, and was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison on May 27, 2016.

According to plea agreements, from 2006 to 2016, Ray and his co-conspirators—many of whom owned or operated U.S.-based aviation service firms—paid bribes to at least seven Mexican officials. These payments, made via wire transfers and checks to U.S. bank accounts controlled by the officials, were designed to secure aircraft servicing and parts contracts with government-owned Mexican entities. The scheme gave their companies an illegal edge in a high-stakes, multimillion-dollar industry.

Hernandez Montemayor admitted in court that, while employed by a Mexican state government, he accepted bribes from Ray, Ramnarine, Perez, and others. In exchange, he used his official position to steer contracts to companies tied to the defendants. The corruption reached deep into procurement channels, distorting fair bidding and undermining public trust in government institutions on both sides of the border.

“The six convictions announced today demonstrate the department’s commitment to holding accountable those who further official corruption through bribery,” said Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell. HSI and IRS-Criminal Investigation agents, who led the probe, emphasized that financial crimes tied to foreign corruption will be pursued relentlessly. “HSI will use all its resources to identify, investigate and dismantle these criminal networks wherever they operate,” said Special Agent in Charge Shane Folden.