A Venezuelan billionaire who owns Globovision news network was charged in an indictment unsealed yesterday for his role in a billion-dollar currency exchange and money laundering scheme.
Raul Gorrin Belisario, 50, a Venezuelan citizen with a residence in Miami, Florida, was charged in an indictment filed on Aug. 16, 2018 in the Southern District of Florida with one count of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, and nine counts of money laundering.
Gorrin allegedly paid millions of dollars in bribes to two high-level Venezuelan officials, including former Venezuelan national treasurer Alejandro Andrade Cedeno, to secure the rights to conduct foreign currency exchange transactions at favorable rates for the Venezuelan government.
To conceal the bribe payments, Gorrin made payments through multiple shell companies and allegedly partnered with Gabriel Arturo Jimenez Aray, a former owner of Banco Peravia bank in the Dominican Republic, to launder bribes paid to Venezuelan officials and proceeds of the scheme.
As part of his guilty plea, Alejandro Andrade Cedeno, 54, a Venezuelan citizen residing in Wellington, Florida, admitted that he received over $1 billion in bribes from Gorrin and other co-conspirators in exchange for using his position as Venezuelan national treasurer to select them to conduct currency exchange transactions for the Venezuelan government.
Andrade agreed to a forfeiture money judgment of $1 billion and forfeiture of all assets involved in the corrupt scheme, including real estate, vehicles, horses, watches, aircraft, and bank accounts. His sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 27.
Gabriel Arturo Jimenez Aray, 50, a Venezuelan citizen residing in Chicago, Illinois, pleaded guilty under seal on March 20, 2018 in the Southern District of Florida to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. His sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 29.
Key Facts
- State: Federal
- Category: Public Corruption|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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