SouthernWorldwide.com – A close associate of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been deported to the United States to face federal charges. The charges accuse him of masterminding a large-scale money laundering and bribery scheme linked to Venezuela’s state-run food program and its oil industry.
Alex Nain Saab Moran, a 55-year-old Colombian national, previously served as a minister of industry and national production under the Maduro administration. He appeared in federal court in Miami on Monday, as confirmed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. The Department of Justice has stated that Saab is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Prosecutors allege that starting around 2015, Saab and his co-conspirators engaged in a scheme to defraud a humanitarian program designed to supply food to impoverished Venezuelans.
Subsequently, they are accused of selling billions of dollars worth of Venezuelan state-owned oil while evading U.S. sanctions. According to authorities, the profits from these sales were channeled through U.S. bank accounts to obscure the transactions and further the illicit scheme.
“Alex Saab allegedly used American banks to launder hundreds of millions of dollars stolen from a Venezuelan food program meant for the poor and proceeds from the illegal sale of Venezuelan oil,” stated Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva. “This is unacceptable. The Criminal Division will not allow foreign actors to exploit the American financial system and use it as a safe haven for the proceeds of their corruption.”
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The indictment claims that beginning around 2015, Saab and his associates bribed Venezuelan government officials. This was allegedly done to secure contracts related to the country’s CLAP welfare program, which was intended to purchase and distribute food to vulnerable and impoverished citizens.
Instead of delivering the promised food supplies, prosecutors contend that the group utilized shell companies, submitted fraudulent invoices, and fabricated shipping records. These actions were allegedly taken to embezzle hundreds of millions of dollars from the program for their personal enrichment.
Around 2019, U.S. sanctions significantly impacted Venezuela’s oil exports and strained its financial resources, including its capacity to pay Saab and his associates under the CLAP program. At this point, Saab and his partners allegedly leveraged their corrupt connections with government officials to gain access to billions of dollars worth of oil belonging to Venezuela’s state-run oil company.
Officials assert that the group sold this oil under false pretenses. The profits generated were then reportedly used to sustain and expand the original food fraud scheme.
Saab and his associates are reported to have laundered the allegedly stolen funds through U.S. bank accounts. This move was intended to conceal the money trail, thereby granting American authorities jurisdiction to prosecute the case.
“When illicit proceeds are moved through the United States financial system, our courts have jurisdiction and our prosecutors will act,” U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones said in a statement.
Saab had previously been indicted in the U.S. in 2019 and was extradited from Cabo Verde in 2021. He received a pardon from President Biden in 2023 as part of a prisoner exchange. However, prosecutors indicate that the current case involves alleged conduct not covered by that pardon.
A Miami-based attorney representing Saab declined to comment to The Associated Press.
If convicted, Saab faces a potential sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison. The government is also seeking the forfeiture of any property or proceeds allegedly obtained through the alleged criminal activities.
The investigation into this case was conducted by a U.S. Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF). This task force includes members from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
