FACES UP TO 20 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON
On February 23, 2024, JA (49) of Houston, Texas, was convicted by a jury for his role in bribing government officials in Ecuador and Mexico, over $1 million, to secure oil and gas contracts (valued at over $300 million) for his former employer, Vitol, Inc.
In a written statement, Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, noted that JA “bribed officials at state-owned oil and gas companies in Ecuador and Mexico using shell companies and sham invoices to obtain business for Vitol Inc., where he worked as an oil and gas trader …. With today’s verdict, the jury has held him accountable for his role in a sophisticated bribery and money laundering scheme that netted Vitol hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts. Foreign bribery erodes the rule of law, disadvantages honest companies, and emboldens corrupt government officials. The Criminal Division will continue to vigorously pursue wrongdoers who bribe foreign officials and bring them to justice.”
Found guilty of violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), and conspiracy to commit money laundering, JA faces up to five years in prison on each of the FCPA counts and up to 20 years on the money laundering count.
JA sure made a bad trade there.
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