Maduro Regime Ally Alex Saab Pleads Guilty to Money Laundering Scheme Involving Bribery and Public Contracts for Food and Medicine
Prosecution Part of Homeland Security Task Force Initiative Established by President Trump
Tuesday, September 15, 2026 - Alex Nain Saab Moran, 54, of Caracas, Venezuela, and formerly of Baranquilla, Colombia, a former Minister of Industry in the regime of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to launder proceeds of a massive bribery and fraud scheme in Venezuela and the United States.The plea was heard by U.S. District Judge Kathleen M. Williams in Miami.
According to court documents, Saab carried out a nearly decade-long conspiracy to corruptly profit from a Venezuelan public welfare program for food and medicine known as Comité Local de Abastecimiento y Producción (CLAP). As part of the plea, Saab admitted to organizing a system of bribes and other illegal payments to public officials so entities secretly controlled by the conspirators could be awarded lucrative contracts from the Venezuelan government to import food and medicine under the auspices of the CLAP. The conspirators neglected to deliver in full on the contracts, and instead used fake companies, false invoices, false shipping records, and other fraudulent documents to skim hundreds of millions of dollars for themselves and their associates, as well to conceal their association with the illegal activity and avoid detection. Saab further admitted that he used shell companies outside of Venezuela to launder proceeds of the conspiracy around the world, including to the United States.
“Criminals like Alex Saab who stole from the people of Venezuela and worked to exploit and misuse American financial institutions to fund illicit activities will be held accountable by this FBI,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “The message is clear – under the leadership of the Trump administration, this FBI will work with our partners to deploy all necessary resources to protect the integrity of U.S. financial institutions and track down those who profit from these criminal operations.”
“Alex Saab exploited the U.S. financial system to profit off the backs of the Venezuelan people,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “He created a complex web of front companies, shell accounts, and false records to perpetuate his scheme, win lucrative public contracts, and line his own pockets as well as his conspirators. The Criminal Division has held Saab accountable and will do the same for others seeking to abuse the U.S. economy for their own gain.”
“Today’s plea agreement signifies a substantial disruption to the illicit financial networks supporting narcoterrorism and political corruption,” said Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Administrator Terry Cole. “DEA has long investigated the financial crimes and networks tied to Alex Saab and his relationship to the former Maduro regime. Thanks to this Administration’s support of law enforcement and DEA’s relentless pressure, Alex Saab will again be brought to justice in the United States.”
“In December 2023, President Biden granted Alex Saab clemency while he was awaiting trial in this district, and Saab was released from federal custody and returned to Venezuela. But that was not the end of the story,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “Our office built a new criminal case, secured a new indictment in January 2026, and, working with our federal and international partners, brought Saab back before a federal court in Miami on May 18. Today, he is accepting responsibility for his crimes. Saab exploited programs intended to provide critical food and medicine to the Venezuelan people, bribed government officials, and used shell companies and the U.S. financial system to move and conceal criminal proceeds. This case sends a clear message: political connections, wealth, and proximity to a corrupt regime will not put anyone beyond the reach of American justice.”
Saab pleaded guilty to conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. A sentencing date has not been set. Saab faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The DEA Miami Field Division is investigating the case, with assistance from the FBI Miami Field Office and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami. The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in this matter.
Deputy Chief Joseph Palazzo of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section (MNF) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Monique Botero for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case.
MNF’s mission is to take the profit out of crime, eliminate drug cartels, and protect the U.S. financial system. MNF pursues criminal prosecutions and criminal and civil asset recovery actions involving: financial facilitators who launder profits for criminals; financial institutions and their officers and employees whose actions threaten the U.S. financial system and financial institutions; international money launderers who support transnational organized crime; and the top command and control of international drug trafficking organizations.
MNF’s Money Laundering and Forfeiture Unit investigates and prosecutes sophisticated money laundering schemes involving financial facilitators, gatekeepers, and other individuals and entities laundering criminal proceeds, and litigates complex civil forfeiture cases to recover assets on behalf of victims.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Miami comprises of agents and officers from the DEA’s Miami Office, FBI’s Miami Office, and HSI Miami Office.
U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Public Affairs
Source: Justice.gov
