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[INTERNATIONAL] · United States, Venezuela, Colombia · 52 sources

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Alvaro Pulido Vargas taken into U.S. custody for Venezuelan bribery schemes

Colombian businessman Alvaro Pulido Vargas, also known as German Enrique Rubio Salas, has been taken into U.S. custody following an investigation by the DEA, FBI, and Homeland Security Investigations. Pulido, a former business partner of Alex Saab, was transferred from a prison in Caracas to Florida.

Pulido faces two separate federal indictments from 2019 and 2021 involving alleged multibillion-dollar money laundering and bribery schemes tied to the government of Nicolás Maduro. Prosecutors allege that Pulido and Saab used offshore shell companies to funnel bribes to Venezuelan officials in exchange for lucrative state contracts. These contracts reportedly involved the supply of essential goods, including food, medicine, and low-cost housing through programs like the CLAP initiative.

Pulido had been detained in Venezuela since 2023 as part of a corruption investigation involving the state-run oil company PDVSA. He is scheduled to make his initial court appearance in a Miami federal court on Tuesday, October 13.

Entities

Alex Saab · Delcy Rodríguez · Department of Justice · Drug Enforcement Administration · Nicolás Maduro · PDVSA · Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. · Todd Blanche · U.S. Department of Justice · United States Department of Justice · Venezuela · Álvaro Pulido Vargas

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