Former energy trader pleads guilty in bribery scheme against international oil company

August 22, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

Share this:

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — AN EX-ENERGY TRADER HAS PLEADED GUILTY IN BROOKLYN FEDERAL COURT for a bribery scheme involving Mexican oil companies. Javier Aguilar, 50, of Houston, Texas, pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and engaging in interstate and foreign commerce to promote and to distribute the proceeds of commercial bribery for paying bribes to officials at PEMEX Procurement International, a wholly owned affiliate of the Mexican state-owned oil company, PEMEX. The plea follows Aguilar’s conviction at trial earlier this year in a related case for paying bribes to Ecuadorian officials and laundering the bribe money for both the Ecuador and Mexico bribery schemes. The plea proceeding was held before United States District Judge Eric N. Vitaliano. When sentenced in both cases, Aguilar faces a maximum sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment as well as $7,129,938 in criminal forfeiture.

Aguilar and his co-conspirators kept the scheme concealed through fake contracts invoices, shell companies and alias email addresses.

✰✰✰