Yesterday, Venezuelan media mogul Raul Gorrin, 56, was indicted in federal court in Miami on charges of money laundering related to an alleged scheme defrauding Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA). The U.S. Justice Department announced that Gorrin is accused of funneling over $1 billion obtained through bribing Venezuelan officials into the U.S. financial system. He is currently considered a fugitive and could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted, according to the U.S. News & World Report.
Details from the indictment revealed by WSVN specify that between 2014 and 2018, Gorrin and his co-conspirators allegedly utilized shell companies and offshore accounts to obscure the origins of their dealings – dealings comprising of luxury asset purchases in South Florida, such as real estate and yachts. Responding to the allegations, Principal Deputy Assistant General Nicole Argentieri stated, "Gorrin’s alleged conduct enriched corrupt government officials and exploited the U.S. financial system to facilitate these crimes." The term “boliburgueses,” used both in Venezuela and now by U.S. prosecutors, is coming to define individuals like Gorrin, who gained substantial wealth during the governance of the late Hugo Chavez.
Gorrin, referred to as "Conspirator 7" in legal documents from another case dating back over five years, has not responded to requests for comment regarding the new charges. Amid Venezuela's strict currency controls before the country’s crisis, he and his network are alleged to be at the center of fake loan agreements with PDVSA. This scheme is said to have diverted between $600 million and $1.2 billion from the state-owned oil company while the nation's oil production was declining sharply, as per the U.S. News & World Report.
Notably, the broader conspiracy, dubbed Operation Money Flight, has previously seen PDVSA officials and their financial managers in Europe plead guilty or be charged with money laundering, according to the U.S. News & World Report. Key to these machinations were bribes to influential figures in Venezuela, including to individuals referred to as "Los Chamos," a colloquial term for 'the kids', whom U.S. officials have identified as President Nicolas Maduro’s stepsons.
