George Semerene admitted his involvement in an illicit scheme to acquire millions of dollars worth of aviation equipment for the Maduro administration. Ten men in total, including Venezuelans, Spaniards and Costa Ricans, were accused of evading sanctions imposed by the United States Government on PDVSA
A Venezuelan accused of evading sanctions imposed by the United States government on the state oil company PDVSA by exporting aircraft parts worth millions of dollars pleaded guilty on Tuesday, the US Attorney’s Office reported.
George Semerene Quintero, 60, pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate the International Economic Emergency Powers Act (IEEPA) for his role in “a scheme to evade U.S. sanctions imposed” on PDVSA.
“Today, George Semerene Quintero admitted that he conspired to circumvent economic sanctions and export controls to help the Nicolás Maduro regime in Venezuela obtain critical aircraft parts from the United States,” said Markenzy Lapointe, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, in a statement.
Semerene admitted his involvement in an illicit scheme to acquire millions of dollars worth of aviation equipment for the Maduro administration, said Matthew G. Olsen, assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
Ten men, including Venezuelans, Spaniards and Costa Ricans, were accused of evading sanctions imposed by the United States Government on PDVSA by exporting aircraft parts.
Between January 2019 and December 2021, after learning of sanctions imposed on the oil company, the defendants devised a scheme to illegally acquire aircraft parts, in violation of sanctions and export controls, according to the indictment.
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The parts included Honeywell Turbofan engines, bearings and flexures, as well as other materials from the United States, to service PDVSA’s fleet of aircraft in Venezuela, the Justice Department said in a statement.
The defendants concealed from the US companies that the goods were destined for Venezuela and PDVSA, using transporters and shipping companies located in the southern district of Florida.
Semerene and the other defendants carried out this scheme by “lying to U.S. parts suppliers, making false statements on customs forms and shipping documents,” inventoried false supplier invoices, and provided false end-user certificates.
The defendants also used third parties for their export.
The companies include Costa Rican Novax Group SA (Novax) and Spanish Aerofalcon, which “acted as alleged buyers and end users of aircraft parts ultimately destined for PDVSA.”
Semerene’s sentencing hearing will take place on November 5 and he could be sentenced to a maximum of 20 years in prison.
The defendants linked to PDVSA are Venezuelan Army Colonel Gilberto Ramón Araujo Prieto, 54, the state-owned company’s air transport manager; Guillermo Ysrael Marval Rivero, 62, and Fernando José Blequett Landaeta, 52, both air transport managers and logistics analysts responsible for acquisitions, in addition to Semerene, head of logistics, acquisitions and storage.
Other defendants include Luis Alberto Duque Carvajal, 63, of Costa Rica, owner of Novax; Melvin Alemán Espinoza, 39, director of operations; Mikhail Largin, 60, director of special projects; and Pedro Elías Sucre Salazar, fr. 58, an employee located in Venezuela.
Aerofalcon’s owner, Juan Carlos González Pérez, 60, and Juan David Guerra Viera, 54, director of the company, were accused.
Duque, Alemán, Sucre, González and Guerra Viera are also accused of presenting false or misleading export information and smuggling of goods, which carry maximum sentences of 5 and 10 years in prison, respectively.
With information from SwissInfo
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