US charges Venezuelan media tycoon with money laundering

Raul Gorrin Belisario, owner of Globovision, allegedly took part in $1.2bn scheme to launder corrupt oil money.

The United States has charged a Venezuelan media mogul with ties to President Nicolas Maduro for laundering hundreds of millions of dollars.

On Wednesday, the Justice Department announced the indictment of Raul Gorrin Belisario, who owns Venezuela’s pro-government Globovision news network.

It said Gorrin took part in a $1.2bn scheme “to launder funds corruptly obtained from Venezuela’s state-owned and state-controlled energy company, Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA), in exchange for hundreds of millions in bribe payments to Venezuelan officials”.

Still at large, he faces up to 20 years in prison if arrested and convicted.

“Gorrin’s alleged conduct enriched corrupt government officials and exploited the US financial system to facilitate these crimes,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M Argentieri, the head of the Justice Department’s criminal division.

It is not the first time Gorrin, who owns a mansion in Miami, has been in the crosshairs of the US justice system.

Back in 2020, Gorrin was put on the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s “Most Wanted List” after being charged with money laundering and breaching the country’s Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

In that case, Gorrin is accused of bribing senior Venezuelan officials to facilitate profitable currency exchange rates for the government. The bribes allegedly included millions in wire transfers and money for private jets, yachts, luxury homes, high-end watches and a fashion line.

The crimes fell under US jurisdiction because Gorrin and associates planned the bribery payments from South Florida and made some transfers to bank accounts in Florida and New York, according to the indictment.

Gorrin evaded arrest at the time and was later seen living in Venezuela’s capital Caracas, reported Univision.

The US government — a fierce critic of Venezuela’s Maduro — has long gone after high-level Venezuelan officials it accuses of engaging in corruption.

In September, it slapped sanctions on 12 Maduro-aligned officials it said helped carry out fraud in the disputed presidential election, which the government declared Maduro the winner of.

The opposition, however, maintains the results show its candidate actually won.