OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – An agricultural supply chain company based in Omaha was ordered to pay $10 million for its role in a scheme to bribe Mexican officials to deliver trains of goods across the border.
Scoular, a grain company, agreed to a three-year deferred prosecution agreement in connection to the case filed in the Western District of Texas for one count of conspiracy to violate the anti-bribery provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
The scheme
“The Scoular Company used customs brokers as part of a long-running scheme at the Mexican border to pay more than $400,000 in bribes to Mexican officials,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “A portion of those bribes ultimately benefited people who helped operate a cartel, even though Scoular did not know about it. This resolution shows that bribery and corruption not only undermine fair play and competition for Americans, but also hurt our national security interests in stopping the scourge of dangerous cartel activity.”
To ensure shipments crossed the border despite failed inspections, Scoular authorized multiple third-party customs brokers to bribe Mexican officials…