Raúl Gorrín, owner of Globovisión, was formally accused in the United States of money laundering. “To hide the movement of bribe payments and illicit funds, Gorrín and his accomplices used a series of shell companies and bank accounts abroad,” reads the website of the Department of Justice’s business office.
A federal jury in the Southern District of Florida presented an indictment against the owner of the Globovisión television station, Raúl Gorrín, for allegedly laundering $1.2 billion illegally obtained from Petróleos de Venezuela (Pdvsa) in exchange for hundreds of millions in payments of bribes to Venezuelan officials.
According to court documents, between 2014 and 2018, Gorrín, 56, conspired with others to launder the proceeds of an illegal bribery scheme using the U.S. financial system, as well as several bank accounts located abroad.
The indictment alleges that Gorrín and his allies paid millions of dollars in bribes to high-level Venezuelan officials to obtain foreign exchange loan contracts with PDVSA. They accuse the businessman and his companions of directing the laundering of illicit profits, in part, in the Southern District of Florida, where they purchased real estate, yachts and other luxury items.
“To conceal the movement of bribe payments and illicit funds, Gorrin and his accomplices used a series of shell companies and bank accounts abroad,” reads the website of the Department of Justice’s business office.
According to the aforementioned entity, Principal Deputy Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice, noted that “according to the indictment, Gorrín and his accomplices paid millions of dollars in bribes to high-ranking foreign officials to “secure more than a billion dollars in illicit profits, which Gorrín and his accomplices used to purchase yachts and other luxury items in the United States.”
He added that Gorrín’s alleged conduct “enriched” government officials and “exploited” the US financial system to facilitate these crimes.
“This case represents the Southern District of Florida’s continued commitment to combating foreign corruption and holding accountable those who subvert the integrity of the American financial system for their crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida.
He added that his office will continue to collaborate with the Organized Crime Anti-Drug Task Force (OCDETF) to identify, dismantle and prosecute those who launder money to facilitate corruption and carry out their nefarious plans.
Gorrín is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. If convicted, Gorrín faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Gorrín, who is a fugitive in a case for which he is charged separately, remains a fugitive.
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