Ramon Alexandro Rovirosa Martinez, Bribery, Texas 2023

Two Mexican Nationals Charged with Bribing State-Owned Energy Officials in Texas

An indictment was unsealed today in the Southern District of Texas charging two Mexican businessmen for their roles in an alleged bribery scheme to retain and obtain business related to Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX), the state-owned oil company of Mexico, and PEMEX Exploración y Producción (PEP), PEMEX’s wholly owned exploration and production subsidiary.

The defendants, Ramon Alexandro Rovirosa Martinez, 46, of The Woodlands, Texas, a Mexican citizen and U.S. lawful permanent resident, and Mario Alberto Avila Lizarraga, 61, of Spring, Texas, a Mexican citizen and U.S. lawful permanent resident, together with others, allegedly conspired to pay and offered to pay at least $150,000 in bribes to officials at PEMEX and PEP in order to obtain and retain business from PEMEX and PEP for companies associated with Rovirosa.

According to court documents, Rovirosa, Avila, and their co-conspirators allegedly offered to pay and paid bribes in the form of luxury goods, including from Louis Vuitton and Hublot, cash payments, and other valuable items, to at least three PEMEX and PEP officials in exchange for those officials taking certain actions to help companies associated with Rovirosa obtain and retain business with PEMEX and PEP.

Rovirosa and Avila are each charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and three substantive violations of the FCPA. If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for each count.

Rovirosa was arraigned today following his arrest. Avila is a fugitive and remains at large.

The FBI and HSI are investigating the case, with assistance from the Office of the Inspector General for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided critical assistance in this case.

Defendant: Ramon Alexandro Rovirosa Martinez, exact criminal charges: Conspiracy to Violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), and three substantive violations of the FCPA, city and state: The Woodlands, Texas, exact date: Between 2019 and continuing into at least 2021, sentence or outcome: faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for each count, dollar amounts: at least $150,000 in bribes, at least $2.5 million in contracts.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/two-mexican-nationals-charged-bribing-state-owned-energy-officials