Ex-executive faces 40 years in prison after allegedly paying cash bribes at hotels, airports and in a parking lot

Aguilar, 50, had already been convicted in Brooklyn, New York, in February of orchestrating an elaborate scheme to bribe Mexican and Ecuadorian officials, but pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a second set of charges, consolidating the two cases, federal prosecutors said in a statement. statement. The move allows U.S. District Judge Eric Vitaliano to impose the sentence in both prosecutions.

In both cases — the second was originally filed in Texas — Aguilar was indicted on charges of conspiracy, foreign bribery and money laundering. In Brooklyn, prosecutors alleged he gave cash payments at hotels, airports and even a parking lot as part of a scheme to win $500 million in business.

“By today’s guilty plea, the defendant acknowledges his role in the widespread corruption of the international commodity market and has waived the laws and rules that apply to all in order to unfairly line the pockets of a few,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace of Brooklyn, in a statement.

The five-count indictment in Texas accused Aguilar, a former oil manager and trader, of colluding to bribe Mexican officials working for PEMEX Procurement International.

Ilene Jaroslaw, an attorney for Aguilar, said the plea resolves all pending charges against her client.

“Mr. Aguilar has accepted responsibility for his role at Vitol, and we trust that Judge Vitaliano will impose a fair sentence,” Jaroslaw said in a statement.

Vitol, the world’s largest independent oil trader, agreed in 2020 to a $160 million settlement with the DOJ over allegations it paid bribes in three countries. Aguilar was charged in 2020 with orchestrating a five-year bribery and money laundering scheme while working at Vitol’s Houston subsidiary.

The Texas case is US v. Aguilar, 23-cr-00335, US District Court, Southern District of Texas (Houston).