United States v. Douglas Ray (S.D. Tex. 2016)
United States v. Victor Hugo Valdez Pinon (S.D. Tex. 2016)
United States v. Kamta Ramnarine (S.D. Tex. 2016)
United States v. Daniel Perez (S.D. Tex. 2016)
United States v. Ernesto Hernandez-Montemayor (S.D. Tex. 2015)
United States v. Ramiro Ascencio Nevarez (S.D. Tex. 2016)
Case Details
- Case Name
- United States v. Douglas Ray (S.D. Tex. 2016)
United States v. Victor Hugo Valdez Pinon (S.D. Tex. 2016)
United States v. Kamta Ramnarine (S.D. Tex. 2016)
United States v. Daniel Perez (S.D. Tex. 2016)
United States v. Ernesto Hernandez-Montemayor (S.D. Tex. 2015)
United States v. Ramiro Ascencio Nevarez (S.D. Tex. 2016)
- Foreign Official
- Eduardo Hernandez-Montemayor, former Chief Pilot for the Tamaulipas government; Ramiro Ascencio Nevarez, a Mexican public university employee; Other unnamed Mexican officials.
- Date of Conduct
-
2005 to 2016
- Nature of Business
- Douglas Ray, Daniel Perez, and Kamta Ramnarine, each U.S. citizens, are officials from unnamed aviation companies based in Texas that repair, maintain, and overhaul aircraft. Victor Hugo Valdez Pinon, a Mexican citizen, was a sales agent of an unnamed aviation company affiliated with Ray and was responsible for delivering the company Mexican customers in need of aircraft parts and maintenance services. Eduardo Hernandez-Montemayor, a Mexican citizen, was the Chief Pilot for the Mexican state of Tamaulipas that represented the Tamaulipas government in all aviation matters. Ramiro Ascencio Nevarez, a Mexican citizen, was an employee at a public university in Tamaulipas, Mexico, who was responsible for maintaining the university’s aircraft.
- Influence to be Obtained
- According to the DOJ, from approximately 2006 to 2016, the defendants organized and perpetrated a scheme to make improper payments to government officials in Mexico to obtain or retain business. Specifically, the DOJ claims that Ray conspired with Valdez to pay bribes to various Mexican officials to secure parts and servicing contracts with Mexican government-owned customers. Ray allegedly agreed to pay bribes to seven different foreign officials, including Hernandez-Montemayor. To execute the scheme, Hernandez-Montemayor, acting on behalf of the Tamaulipas government, allegedly agreed to accept higher prices for aircraft maintenance services so that, once paid, a portion of the funds would be used as kickbacks. Separately, Ramnarine and Perez allegedly conspired to pay bribes to Hernandez-Montemayor and Nevarez, along with several other foreign officials between 2007 and 2015 to ensure that their Brownsville, Texas-based company won aircraft parts and services contracts with Mexican government-owned customers.
- Enforcement
- On December 27, 2016, the DOJ announced that it had unsealed the charges against six defendants who had allegedly participated in the bribery scheme. Ray and Valdez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the FCPA and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Ramnarine and Perez separately pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to violate the FCPA. The alleged recipients of the bribes, Hernandez-Montemayor and Ascencio Nevarez, both pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
On June 7, 2016, Nevarez was sentenced to 15-months in prison. On January 23, 2017, Hernandez-Montemayor was sentenced to 24-months in prison. On February 13, 2017, Perez and Ramnarine were each sentenced to 3-years probation. On March 3, 2017, Valdez was sentenced to 12-months and one day in prison and ordered to pay $90,783,50 in restitution. On April 17, 2017, Ray was sentenced to 18-months in prison and ordered to pay $589,698.87 in restitution.
- Amount of the Value
- Approximately $2 million.
- Amount of Business Related to Payment
- Not Stated
- Citizenship of Parent Entity
- United States
- Reporting Requirements
- No
Defendants
Douglas Ray
- Citation
- United States v. Ray, No. 4:16-cr-00409 (S.D. Tex. 2016);
- Date Case Was Unsealed
- 12/27/2016
- Other Statutory Provision
- Conspiracy (Wire Fraud); Criminal Forfeiture.
- Disposition
- Plea Agreement
- Defendant Jurisdictional Basis
- Domestic Concern
- Defendant's Citizenship
- United States
- Individual Sanction
- 18-Months Imprisonment; $589,698.87 in Restitution; $2,089,699 in forfeiture.
Victor Hugo Valdez Pinon
- Citation
- United States v. Valdez Pinon, No. 4:16-cr-00409 (S.D. Tex. 2016);
- Date Case Was Unsealed
- 12/27/2016
- Other Statutory Provision
- Conspiracy (Wire Fraud); Criminal Forfeiture.
- Disposition
- Plea Agreement
- Defendant Jurisdictional Basis
- Territorial Jurisdiction
- Defendant's Citizenship
- Mexico
- Individual Sanction
- 12-Months and 1-Day imprisonment; $90,883.50 in Restitution; $275,000 in forfeiture.
Kamta Ramnarine
- Citation
- United States v. Ramnarine,No. 7:16-cr-01164 (S.D. Tex. 2016);
- Date Case Was Unsealed
- 12/27/2016
- Disposition
- Plea Agreement
- Defendant Jurisdictional Basis
- Domestic Concern
- Defendant's Citizenship
- United States
- Individual Sanction
- 3-Years Probation.
Daniel Perez
- Citation
- United States v. Perez,No. 7:16-cr-01164 (S.D. Tex. 2016);
- Date Case Was Unsealed
- 12/27/2016
- Disposition
- Plea Agreement
- Defendant Jurisdictional Basis
- Domestic Concern
- Defendant's Citizenship
- United States
- Individual Sanction
- 3-Years Probation.
Ernesto Hernandez-Montemayor
- Citation
- United States v. Hernandez-Montemayor,No. 4:15-cr-00617 (S.D. Tex. 2015);
- Date Case Was Unsealed
- 12/27/2016
- Other Statutory Provision
- Conspiracy (Wire Fraud).
- Disposition
- Plea Agreement
- Defendant Jurisdictional Basis
- Unknown
- Defendant's Citizenship
- Mexico
- Individual Sanction
- 24-Months Imprisonment.
Ramiro Ascencio Nevarez
- Citation
- United States v. Ascencio Nevarez,No. 7:16-cr-00252 (S.D. Tex. 2016).
- Other Statutory Provision
- Conspiracy (Money Laundering); Criminal Forfeiture.
- Disposition
- Plea Agreement
- Defendant Jurisdictional Basis
- Unknown
- Defendant's Citizenship
- Mexico
- Individual Sanction
- 15-Months Imprisonment.
