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Florida Man Sentenced to 55 Months in Prison for Violating Sanctions Against Venezuelan Leaders
Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Peter C. Fitzhugh, the Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations, announced that Victor Mones Coro was sentenced today to 55 months in prison, in connection with a scheme to provide private charter flights to two prominent members of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s inner circle.
Victor Mones Coro, a Florida man, led a concerted, sustained, multi-year scheme to provide millions of dollars’ worth of illicit flight services to Venezuelan leaders in direct contravention of our country’s sanctions regime and foreign policy, Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said. Today’s sentence serves as a reminder that, together with our law enforcement partners, we will aggressively prosecute sanctions violators to protect our national security.
HSI Special Agent in Charge Peter C. Fitzhugh said: HSI is instrumental in protecting the interests of the United States by leveraging our unique and expansive authorities to root out the corrupt regimes operating around the globe. For over 25 years, the HSI New York El Dorado Task Force has investigated and dismantled complex international money laundering schemes along with other serious financial crimes.
According to the Indictment, court filings, and statements made during court proceedings:
Between February 2017 and March 2019, Victor Mones Coro provided travel services, including private jet charters, to El Aissami and Lopez Bello, as well as their associates, in violation of OFAC sanctions. El Aissami became the vice president of Venezuela in approximately January 2017 and is currently Venezuela’s Minister of Industry and National Production. In February 2017, OFAC designated El Aissami and Lopez Bello as Specially Designated Narcotics Traffickers pursuant to the Kingpin Act and related regulations.
Victor Mones Coro designed an elaborate criminal scheme to enrich himself and provide flight services to El Aissami and Lopez Bello, among other influential Venezuelans in Maduro’s inner circle, including the president of Venezuela’s Supreme Court, Maikel Moreno, who had also been previously sanctioned by OFAC. In spearheading this criminal scheme, Victor Mones Coro used his U.S.-based company, American Charter Services, its planes, and its employees to fly Lopez Bello, El Aissami, and others around the world, including to foreign countries of strategic importance to the Maduro regime such as Russia and Turkey.
Victor Mones Coro also provided flights in furtherance of Maduro’s May 2018 campaign for re-election, a corrupt campaign through which Maduro illegitimately maintained control of Venezuela. In particular, between approximately February and May 2018, Victor Mones Coro and American Charter Services arranged between 20 to 25 domestic Venezuelan flights for the Maduro campaign. These flights transported people, campaign materials, and food, among other things, and were coordinated with associates of El Aissami and Lopez Bello.
Victor Mones Coro, 55 months in prison, in connection with a scheme to provide private charter flights to two prominent members of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s inner circle:
Mandatory Facts:
Defendant: Victor Mones Coro
Criminal Charges: Violating sanctions against senior Venezuelan leaders
City and State: New York
Exact Date: January 4, 2021
Sentence or Outcome: 55 months in prison
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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