On December 16, 2015 and December 17, 2015, Shiera and Rincon-Fernandez, respectively, were brought into custody by U.S. officials. According to a criminal indictment that was unsealed on December 21, 2015, both Shiera and Rincon-Fernandez were charged with multiple counts of conspiracy to violate the FCPA and the federal money laundering statute along with substantive counts of the offenses. In March 2016 and June 2016, Shiera and Rincon-Fernandez, respectively, pleaded guilty to multiple violations of the FCPA. Shiera-Bastidas was ordered to pay a money judgment of $15,829,143.67 and forfeit $978,939.23. Rincon-Fernandez’s sentencing is pending.
In March 2016, charges against Millan Escobar, Gravina-Munoz, Maldonado-Barillas, and Ramos-Castillo were unsealed. Millan Escobar pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the FCPA in January 2016 and was ordered to forfeit $533,578.13 on October 3, 2016. Millan Escobar’s was sentenced on September 9, 2019 to three years of probation and monetary sanctions.
Separately, Gravina-Munoz, Maldonado-Barillas, and Ramos-Castillo each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Gravina-Munoz also pleaded guilty to one count of tax fraud on November 24, 2015. Gravina-Munoz and Maldonado-Barillas were subsequently ordered to forfeit $590,446 and $165,000, respectively. Ramos-Castillo was ordered to forfeit multiple real-estate properties along with a monetary sum of $10,319,316. Gravina-Munoz was ordered to forfeit $590,446, Maldonado-Barillas, $165,000, and Ramos-Castillo $7,829,415. Maldonado-Barillas was further sentenced to 24 months of probation, whereas Ramos-Castillo was ordered to serve 18 months in prison followed by 24 months on supervised release.
On January 10, 2017, the DOJ unsealed charges against Hernandez-Comerma and Beech. On the same day, the DOJ announced that Hernandez-Comerma had pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the FCPA and one substantive count of violating the FCPA. Beech separately pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the FCPA. Hernandez-Comerma was sentenced to 4 years in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a fine of $127,000. Beech was sentenced to one year and a day in prison and assessed $833,452 in monetary judgment. He was also ordered to pay a $10,000 fine.
On August 24, 2017, the DOJ filed charges against Ardila-Rueda for one count of conspiracy to violate the FCPA and one count of violations of the anti-bribery provision of the FCPA. On October 11, 2017, Ardila-Rueda pleaded guilty to both counts. Sentencing remains pending.
On February 12, 2018, the DOJ unsealed the charges against De Leon-Perez, Villalobos Cardenas, Rincon-Godoy, Reiter-Munoz, and Isturiz Chiesa. Rincon-Godoy was removed to the U.S. and pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. De Leon-Perez also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the FCPA and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Rincon-Godoy was ordered to forfeit $7,033,504.71 and his sentencing remains pending. De Leon-Perez’s was ordered to forfeit $18,118,783 and sentencing remains pending.
Villalobos Cardenas and Reiter-Munoz appear to be in Spain pending extradition, and Isturiz Chiesa remains a fugitive. On April 24, 2019, the DOJ filed a superseding indictment alleging Reiter-Munoz, Javier Alvarado-Ochoa, Daisy T. Rafoi-Bleuler, and Paulo J.D.C. Casqueiro-Murta conspired to commit money laundering. Rafoi-Bleuler remains a fugitive in Switzerland.
On September 13, 2018, the DOJ unsealed the charges against Castillo Rincon for one count of conspiracy to violate the FCPA, three counts of violations of the FCPA’s anti-bribery provisions, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. On September 13, 2018, the DOJ announced that Castillo Rincon pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the FCPA. His sentencing is pending.
On July 23, 2018, the DOJ unsealed the charges against Convit Guruceaga, Amparan Croquer, Aqui, Ortega, Gois, Krull, and Acosta y Lara. The individuals were charged with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Ortega and Hernandez Frieri were charged with two counts of laundering of monetary instruments, and Hernandez Frieri was additionally charged with one count of international promotion money laundering. Convit Guruceaga, Hernandez Frieri, Ortega, Amparan Croquer, and Aqui were charged with four counts of interstate and foreign travel in aid of racketeering. In the DOJ’s superseding information filed October 24, 2018, Ortega was further charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering, to which Ortega pled guilty on October 31, 2018. Ortega’s sentencing is pending. The District Court for the Southern District of Florida sentenced Krull to ten years in prison in 2018 but in March, at the request of the DOJ, reduced his sentence to three and a half years because of his extensive cooperation with the agency’s investigation into PdVSA.
Hernandez Frieri pleaded guilty on November 26, 2019 and was ordered to forfeit $12,330,000. Sentencing remains pending.
On October 12, 2018, the DOJ filed charges against Guedez for one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Guedez pled guilty. on February 21, 2021, Guedez was sentenced to eighteen months in prison, two years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $20,000.
On July 31, 2018, and again on May 14, 2019, the DOJ unsealed the charges against Gonzalez-Testino for one count of conspiracy to violate the FCPA and one substantive count of violating the FCPA. Gonzalez Testino was arrested at Miami International Airport based on a complaint filed against him. On May 29, 2019, Gonzalez entered into a plea agreement with the DOJ, the details which are still under seal. Gonzalez’s sentencing is pending.
On February 26, 2019, the DOJ unsealed the charges against Pinto-Franceschi and Muller-Huber for one count of conspiracy to violate the FCPA, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, two counts of wire fraud, and one count of conspiracy to launder money. Both defendants pleaded guilty under plea agreements that remain under seal. Pinto-Franceschi and Muller-Huber were ordered to forfeit $985,416 and $263,402, respectively. On May 6, 2021, Pinto-Franceschi was sentenced to two years in prison, three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $12,500. Muller-Huber was sentenced on the same day to twenty months in prison, three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $65,600.
On June 27, 2019, the DOJ announced it had charged Padron with one count of conspiracy to violate the FCPA. Padron had pleaded guilty on October 17, 2016 and was sentenced to eighteen month in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $100.
On November 4, 2019, the DOJ filed an information against Orsoni for one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. The case was announced on March 12, 2020 and charges remain pending. Orsoni was also ordered to forfeit $4,500,000 and two properties in Florida.
On November 4, 2019, the DOJ filed an information against Rangel for one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, which was announced on March 11, 2020. Charges remain pending although Rangel was ordered to forfeit $5,135,000, a condo in Florida, and net proceeds from the sale of two properties in Venezuela.
On February 7, 2020, the DOJ unsealed an indictment against Farias-Perez for one count of conspiracy to violate the FCPA. The charges are currently pending.
On March 20, 2020, the DOJ filed an information against Urbano Fermin alleging one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. On April 19, 2021, Urbano Fermin pleaded guilty to the count. Sentencing remains pending.
On March 20, 2020 the DOJ also filed a complaint against Santilli for one count each of conspiracy to commit money laundering, money laundering, and illegal monetary transactions. The charges remain pending.
On August 6, 2020, the DOJ announced it had filed an indictment against De Jongh for one count of conspiracy to launder money, five counts of money laundering, one count of conspiracy, and three counts of Travel Act violations. De Jongh pleaded guilty on March 22, 2021 to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and sentencing remains pending.
On November 24, 2020, the DOJ filed an indictment against D’Amato for one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, four counts of international money laundering, three counts of money laundering, and three counts of transacting in criminally derived property. The indictment ordered forfeiture of over $46 million. The charges remain pending.
On August 4, 2021, U.S. authorities arrested Naman Wakil on charges of violating the FCPA, conspiracy to violate the FCPA, money laundering, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and engaging in transactions in criminally derived property. The charges remain pending.
