DOJ: Homeland Security Task Force Arrests Suspect in Multibillion-Dollar Venezuelan Money Laundering Case; Initial Appearance Oct. 13 in Miami
[GSM Federal, Oct. 11] The U.S. Department of Justice announced on Oct. 11 that the Homeland Security Task Force has arrested Colombian national Alvaro Pulido Vargas, charged in connection with multibillion-dollar money laundering schemes tied to Venezuelan government bribery. He will make his initial appearance on Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 13, in the Southern District of Florida.
According to the DOJ press release, Pulido Vargas, 62, also known as German Enrique Rubio Salas, was indicted in 2019 and again in 2021 in two separate federal indictments, charged with laundering more than $2 billion in proceeds of bribery and fraud involving Venezuelan government officials of the Nicolas Maduro regime. Prior to the alleged offenses, Pulido Vargas had a prolific history of drug trafficking, including a 1997 conviction in Italy under the alias German Enrique Rubio Salas.
"Alvaro Pulido Vargas is no longer a fugitive from justice," said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. "Pulido is charged in two separate, significant money laundering schemes, both using the U.S. financial system to hide the profits from his bribery and greed off the backs of the Venezuelan people."
According to Attorney General Todd Blanche, the operation was carried out by the Homeland Security Task Force. The Associated Press reported the investigation involved the DEA, the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations. The U.S. had previously offered a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to Pulido's arrest or conviction. Homeland Security Task Force spokesperson Nicole Navas Oxman confirmed Pulido is in U.S. custody but did not disclose how he came into American custody.
Background: Pulido is accused of operating an offshore shell company network with his longtime business associate Alex Saab, a onetime ally of Maduro, to funnel bribes to top Maduro allies in exchange for government contracts for food, medicine and housing. According to AP, Pulido was arrested in Venezuela in 2023 as part of a sprawling anti-corruption crackdown inside state oil company PDVSA.
Sources: U.S. Department of Justice press release, Associated Press. As reported by the DOJ.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
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