In December 2025, Ramon Alexandro Rovirosa Martinez was found guilty after a bizarre trial of various charges in connection with an alleged Mexican bribery scheme. (See here for the prior post).
As reported here, the trial featured no fact witnesses which led the judge to block the government from introducing most of its evidence until their closing argument.
Soon after the verdict, Rovirosa was taken into custody and has been in prison since.
As highlighted in this recent post, last week U.S. District Court Judge Kenneth Hoyt (S.D. Texas) indicated he will be granting defense motions to dismiss the case.
Even though Judge Hoyt has yet to issue his written decision, the DOJ has filed a motion to stay Judge Hoyt’s upcoming orders.
The DOJ states:
“The Government respectfully requests that this Court stay execution of its forthcoming order dismissing the charges—or alternatively, entering a judgment of acquittal—against Defendant Ramon Alexandro Rovirosa Martinez (“Rovirosa”), pending resolution of the Government’s potential appeal of that order to the Fifth Circuit. Alternatively, the Government respectfully requests that this Court stay execution of its forthcoming order for 14 days to allow it adequate time to request a longer stay from the Fifth Circuit if deemed necessary.”
The DOJ further states:
“[I]f this Court errs in ordering dismissal of the charges—or entering a judgment of acquittal—against Rovirosa, the potential “drastic consequences” militate in favor of a stay. Rovirosa was charged and convicted for his role in a significant foreign bribery scheme. Society has a significant interest in those charges being fully and finally adjudicated, and in Rovirosa receiving a just sentence for his crimes of conviction. If this Court errs in dismissing the indictment or acquitting Rovirosa, and no stay is granted, those societal interests could be thwarted. Additionally, Rovirosa retains substantial personal and professional ties to Mexico, and his co-defendant remains a fugitive in Mexico. If Rovirosa flees to Mexico, the process for extraditing him to the United States will be lengthy and may not ultimately be successful. Furthermore, if Rovirosa flees to Mexico, and the Fifth Circuit ultimately rules that this Court erred in dismissing the charges against him and acquitting him, the societal interest in Rovirosa’s prosecution will be frustrated.”
Rovirosa’s attorney Ryan McConnell (R. McConnell Group PLLC) stated:
“My reaction is their motion is unlawful, without precedent, and made in bad faith. It is blatantly unconstitutional. There is no legal framework to keep an innocent man in a cell. Zero. They cite none, because there is none. They don’t even have permission to appeal, and they’ve asked the Court to keep Alex locked up — after the Court said it would find him innocent — while they think about what they might do, without even reading the Court’s opinion. The cases they cite do not support their unprecedented and illegal argument. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
