Condom Seller 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 U.C. 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. Testing 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. Naami said he put $1,000 in the trunk of the agent’s car as part of a $2,000 payment he promised. The agent, however, had been cooperating with other federal investigators.

The FDA seized the remaining condoms, manufactured by Dongkuk Techco Rubber Industries in Penang, Malaysia. The agency also warned consumers in seven states to avoid using the condoms, which were sold under the names of Pamitex, Maxi, Black Jack, Magic and Ginza.