OMAHA, Neb. — Omaha-based agricultural supply chain company Scoular has agreed to pay more than $10 million and enter into a three-year deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice to resolve allegations that it authorized bribes to Mexican customs officials over a six-year period.
Federal prosecutors say the scheme occurred between 2013 and 2019, when Scoular used third-party customs brokers to pay Mexican officials to help trains carrying corn and other agricultural products cross the U.S.-Mexico border despite inspections that found dirt, soil and other impurities.
According to court documents, Scoular employees authorized customs brokers to pay approximately $2,000 in bribes per train. The payments were then allegedly billed back to the company as reinspection fees. Prosecutors said employees discussed shipments and payments through WhatsApp and other communication methods.
The Justice Department alleges Scoular authorized more than $400,000 in bribes, allowing the company to avoid more than $6.5 million in fees and other costs.
Under the agreement, Scoular will pay a $9.77 million criminal penalty and forfeit an additional $414,351. The company also agreed to continue cooperating with the Justice Department and strengthen its compliance and anti-corruption programs over the next three years.
The Justice Department said investigators also determined that, without Scoular’s knowledge, a portion of the bribe payments ultimately benefited individuals associated with a drug cartel operating along the U.S.-Mexico border.
In a statement, the company said “Scoular is a different company today than when the conduct at issue took place years ago and has built a first-in-class compliance program to prevent any future issues. The company has zero tolerance for conduct that violates its compliance policies, procedures and professional standards.”
“Scoular cooperated fully with the DOJ investigation and took immediate, comprehensive steps to remediate, including terminating the customs broker relationships involved, reorganizing its business teams, completing an external compliance program assessment, strengthening internal controls and monitoring, updating its compliance policies, and expanding anti-corruption training,” said Scoular Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary Tim Manning. “These significant remediation efforts and full cooperation led to the resolution of this matter.”
Scoular was charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the anti-bribery provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Under the deferred prosecution agreement, the charge will be dismissed if the company fulfills the terms of the agreement.
The Justice Department said Scoular did not voluntarily disclose the conduct but received credit for cooperating with investigators and implementing extensive compliance reforms, including stronger oversight of third-party vendors and ending its use of customs brokers tied to the reinspection fee process in Mexico.
The case is related to an earlier prosecution of customs broker Carlos Leopoldo Alvelais, who pleaded guilty in October 2025 to conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. His sentencing is scheduled for July 20.
“As Scoular looks toward the future, the resolution allows the company to move forward and continue to serve farmers and customers, guided by its long-held values of integrity and stewardship,” the company said in a statement.
The FBI investigated the case.