A former Green Beret and a Venezuelan national are currently tangled in legal proceedings, charged with serious violations of export and firearms laws. Identified as Jordan Guy MacDonald Goudreau, a 48-year-old from Melbourne, Florida, and Yacsy Alexandra Alvarez, 43, of Tampa, Florida, the duo were arrested subsequent to an indictment that was recently unsealed, revealing charges which include conspiracy to violate export laws and smuggling goods from the United States, as outlined in a Department of Justice press release.
The indictment, which stems from activity beginning in November 2019, outlines a detailed conspiracy involving the procurement and attempted export of firearms and military gear from the U.S. to Colombia – equipment intended for eventual use in Venezuela. Goudreau and, Alvarez along with other unnamed co-conspirators utilized Goudreau's Melbourne-based company, Silvercorp, to gain access to these materials. This included AR-type firearms, night vision devices, and laser sights, among other paraphernalia for which they lacked the required export licenses.
These actions did not go unnoticed, leading to a seizure of some of these items by the Colombia National Police. Notably, Goudreau is additionally charged with unlawful possession of machine guns and unregistered silencers. This case paints a stark picture of the underground trade in military-grade weapons, highlighting the lengths to which individuals might go to subvert international laws and controls.
The FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security, with the aid of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, are continuing to investigate the breadth of this operation.
The task of prosecuting this high-stakes case falls on the shoulders of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Risha Asokan and Daniel J. Marcet for the Middle District of Florida, further complemented by the efforts of Trial Attorneys Menno Goedman and Emma Ellenrieder of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.
