Importer Pleads Guilty in Bribery Case

A Los Angeles condom importer has pleaded guilty to trying to bribe a federal inspector in Orange County to conceal the fact that up to 432,000 defective condoms had been sent to retailers in California and six other states. Max Naami, 52, owner of UC Imports, faces a maximum of 15 years in prison for bribing a public official. He is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 6 in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana. In his plea agreement, Naami admitted that he met several times at an Irvine hotel with a Food and Drug Administration agent in an effort to buy the agent’s help. The FDA’s duties include regulating the importation and distribution of condoms. Naami said in his agreement that he ignored the FDA’s order two years ago to hold shipments of 2.3 million condoms from Malaysia at his warehouse pending FDA inspection. Tests showed that the condoms leaked, subjecting them to being barred from U.S. distribution. However, Naami admitted that he still sent 432,000 condoms to retailers and then sought the FDA agent’s help to cover up his wrongdoing.