Conroe man pleads guilty in bribery case

A former manager of a Houston-based logistics and freight company has pleaded guilty to a foreign bribery charge related to a scheme to secure contracts from Petróleos de Venezuela SA, Venezuela’s state-owned oil company.

Federal officials said that Juan Carlos Castillo Rincon of Conroe pleaded guilty in Houston federal court to one count of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 21.

The plea is part of a broader ongoing investigation by the U.S. government into bribery at PDVSA that has so far brought charges against 18 individuals, 14 of whom have pleaded guilty.

Castillo Rincon was arrested in Miami in April. He admitted to conspiring with others to bribe a PDVSA official, who in turn assisAs ted the logistics company in obtaining favorable contracts and provided inside information regarding the bidding process, federal authorities said. The scheme began around 2011 and continued through 2013.

The PDVSA official, Jose Orlando Camacho, a former Katy resident, last year pleaded guilty in Houston federal court to conspiracy to commit money laundering. He is also scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 21.

part of his guilty plea unsealed Thursday, Camacho admitted that while employed at PDVSA, he accepted bribes from Castillo and his company and conspired with him to launder the proceeds.

As part of their plea agreements, Castillo and Camacho have agreed to forfeit the proceeds of the bribery scheme.