Alex Saab, the Colombian businessman who served as Nicolás Maduro's top financial operative, pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiracy to launder money in a Miami federal court, nearly three years after the Biden administration pardoned him and sent him back to Venezuela. Saab, 54, entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Kathleen M. Williams. He agreed […] The post Maduro's financial fixer Alex Saab pleads guilty to money laundering after Biden pardon let him walk free appeared first on American Almanac .
Alex Saab, the Colombian businessman who served as Nicolás Maduro's top financial operative, pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiracy to launder money in a Miami federal court, nearly three years after the Biden administration pardoned him and sent him back to Venezuela. Saab, 54, entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Kathleen M. Williams. He agreed to forfeit $195 million and cooperate with the Department of Justice as part of the deal. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison, with a sentencing date still to be set. The plea caps a seven-year saga that spans a 2019 indictment, an arrest in Cape Verde, a presidential pardon, a hero's welcome in Caracas, and a second indictment secured in January 2026, all before federal prosecutors…Open
Alex Saab, the Colombian-born businessman U.S. officials call Nicolás Maduro's "frontman," pleaded guilty in Miami federal court to money laundering tied to a bribery scheme that looted a food program meant for Venezuela's poorest citizens. Saab, 54, entered his plea Tuesday before Judge Kathleen Williams in the Southern District of Florida on a single count […] The post Maduro's 'bag man' pleads guilty to laundering $195 million skimmed from Venezuelan food program appeared first on American Almanac .
Alex Saab, the Colombian-born businessman U.S. officials call Nicolás Maduro's "frontman," pleaded guilty in Miami federal court to money laundering tied to a bribery scheme that looted a food program meant for Venezuela's poorest citizens. Saab, 54, entered his plea Tuesday before Judge Kathleen Williams in the Southern District of Florida on a single count of money laundering. He agreed to forfeit $195 million and to cooperate with continuing federal investigations, a deal that could make him a key witness against Maduro himself, who sits in a Manhattan jail awaiting trial on drug charges after a U.S. military raid captured him in January. U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones attended the proceedings alongside more than a dozen…Open
Saab has been accused of participating in a sprawling international money laundering conspiracy involving the corruption and exploitation of a Venezuelan public welfare program.
The U.S. and EU are alarmed that Antigua and Barbuda’s passport program lacks the transparency needed to prevent abuse. A tiny Caribbean country has issued passports to Iranian nationals, prompting concerns in Washington that terrorists could be entering the U.S. legally on official documents of friendly nations. The government of Antigua and Barbuda has been on the Trump administration’s radar for well over a year. Three sources with direct knowledge confirm that the Department of Homeland Security is investigating the government of Antigua and Barbuda for issuing its passports to citizens of Iran, Venezuela, and other countries of concern. More than a year ago, the Trump administration warned Antigua to clean up its passport…Open
Court records claimed the 55-year-old Saab was allegedly involved in a scheme to bribe Venezuelan public officials to secure lucrative Comité Local de Abastecimiento y Producción contracts to import food into Venezuela.
The extradition of Alex Saab, who is tied to a huge graft scheme, is part of a purge of powerful figures who helped the deposed president, Nicolás Maduro, stay in power.
A US-funded opposition journalist revealed the Trump DOJ has crafted a secret indictment of Venezuela’s Acting President to “hold it over her head,” and will execute it if she “derails.”
This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. The Trump administration is using a secret indictment to assert leverage over Venezuela’s Acting President Delcy Rodríguez, according to the editor-in-chief of the US government-funded outlet, Armando.info. “One of the information we manage is that the US is holding an indictment against [Rodriguez] to make it public, just in case she derails,” Valentina Lares Martiz revealed during a February 6, 2026 webinar hosted by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), an outlet also sponsored by the US government. “Just to hold it over her head?” asked OCCRP deputy editor Julia Wallace. “Yeah,…Open
PULSE POINTSWHAT HAPPENED: Colombian businessman Alex Saab, considered a top money launderer for Nicolás Maduro, was reportedly arrested in Caracas during a joint U.S.-Venezuela operation.WHO WAS INVOLVED: Alex Saab, Nicolás Maduro, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Venezuelan authorities, and businessman Raúl Gorrín.WHEN & WHERE: Saab was captured on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, in Caracas, […] The post FBI Recaptures Alex Saab, Maduro’s Top Money Launderer Released by Biden. appeared first on The National Pulse .
PULSE POINTS WHAT HAPPENED: Colombian businessman Alex Saab, considered a top money launderer for Nicolás Maduro, was reportedly arrested in Caracas during a joint U.S.-Venezuela operation. WHO WAS INVOLVED: Alex Saab, Nicolás Maduro, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Venezuelan authorities, and businessman Raúl Gorrín. WHEN & WHERE: Saab was captured on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, in Caracas, Venezuela. IMPACT: Saab had initially been captured by the U.S. in 2020 , but was subsequently released by former President Joe Biden as part of a prisoner exchange with the Maduro regime. IN FULL Former Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro ’s top money launderer, Alex Saab, was captured in a joint operation by the United States and…Open