Former USDA Animal Inspector Sentenced for Accepting Bribes

A former USDA animal inspector has been sentenced to nearly 5 years in federal prison and ordered to pay a $40,000 fine for accepting bribes from Mexican cattle brokers.

Roberto Adams, 69, Laredo, Tex., pleaded guilty in April of 2022 to accepting over $40,000 in bribe payments from Mexican cattle brokers from about March 2019 to about 2021, in the Southern District of Texas, while acting in his official position as a USDA employee. In return, he allowed cattle to enter the United States without proper quarantine or inspection.

U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo ordered Adams serve a total of 57 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. The sentence was enhanced because he accepted more than one bribe payment while in a position of public trust for a total amount of over $40,000. In handing down the sentence, the court noted Adams did not understand the gravity of the crime he committed and the significance of the harm he did or could have caused by allowing diseased cattle into the country. He was also ordered to immediately pay $40,000 in fines.

“It is critical that we do not allow corruption to infect positions of public trust, including inspectors at the port of entry,” said U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. “They are supposed to ensure the safety and integrity of the agricultural products passing into the United States. Adams put that system at risk. We hope this sentence serves as deterrent to others thinking of violating their obligations.”

Adams was employed as a lead animal health technician for 10 years. In that role, he was responsible for inspecting and quarantining or excluding tick-infested or diseased cattle. He was only one of two technicians the USDA employed in Laredo and exercised high level decision-making authority.

The maximum sentence for Adams’ conviction was 15 years and a maximum fine of $250,000.