Three Venezuelans and an Uruguayan national
were arrested last night and appeared in federal court in
Miami today on charges of acting and conspiring to act as
agents of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela within the
United States, without prior notification to the Attorney
General of the United States, as required by law, announced
R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern
District of Florida, Kenneth L. Wainstein, Assistant Attorney
General for National Security, and Jonathan I. Solomon,
Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation,
Miami Field Office.
Charged in the complaint were defendants
Moises Maionica, 36, Antonio Jose Canchica Gomez, 37, Rodolfo
Edgardo Wanseele Paciello, 40, Franklin Duran, 40, and Carlos
Kauffmann, 35. All have been arrested, except for defendant
Antonio Jose Canchica Gomez, who remains at large. If convicted,
the defendants face a statutory maximum penalty of ten (10)
years’ imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.
According to the complaint filed in federal
court, the defendants coordinated and participated in a
series of meetings, beginning in August 2007, in South Florida
with Guido Alejandro Antonini Wilson to procure Antonini’s
help in concealing the source of an intended $800,000 cash
contribution to the political campaign of a candidate in
the recent Argentine presidential election of October 28,
2007. The last meeting took place on December 11, 2007,
when defendants Maionica, Duran, and another individual
met with Antonini to discuss the creation of false documents
in furtherance of the cover-up.
The events culminating in today’s
criminal charges began on August 4, 2007, when Antonini
flew by Cessna Citation, bearing registration number N5113S,
from Venezuela to Aeroparque Jorge Newbery in Buenos Aires,
Argentina. The privately chartered aircraft had previously
departed from Caracas Maiquetía International Airport
in Venezuela , carrying eight passengers on board, including,
among others, Guido Alejandro Antonini Wilson. Upon arrival
at Buenos Aires , Argentine Customs Service inspected the
luggage offloaded from the Cessna Citation, and found approximately
$800,000 in United States currency in luggage being carried
by Guido Alejandro Antonini Wilson. The Argentine authorities
seized the money and Antonini returned to his South Florida
home.
The complaint alleges that beginning in
mid-August, 2007 and continuing through December 11, 2007,
the defendants and other participants in the conspiracy,
acting as agents of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela,
sought to obtain the assistance of Guido Alejandro Antonini
Wilson, a U.S. citizen who travels under both United States
and Venezuelan passports, in concealing from the people
of Argentina and others, the source and destination and
the role of the government of the Bolivarian Republic of
Venezuela in the attempted delivery of the approximately
$800,000.
During these meetings, the defendants told
Antonini that various high-ranking Venezuelan government
officials, including the Office of the Vice President of
the Republic, members of the DISIP (Intelligence and Preventive
Services Directorate), and a high-ranking official from
the Justice Ministry of Venezuela, were aware of this matter.
The defendants admitted to Antonini that these funds had
been destined for the campaign of a candidate in the Argentine
presidential election of October 28, 2007.
"The complaint filed today outlines
an alleged plot by agents of the Venezuelan government to
manipulate an American citizen in Miami in an effort to
keep the lid on a burgeoning international scandal. These
arrests should serve as a warning to other agents who operate
illegally in America on behalf of foreign powers,"
said Kenneth L. Wainstein, Assistant Attorney General for
National Security.
U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta stated, “Today’s
complaint alleges an effort by the agents of Venezuela to
travel to the United States for the purpose coercing our
citizens to help conceal the true nature of a growing international
scandal. This is not the first time in recent years that
we have charged individuals with operating illegally in
South Florida as agents of foreign powers, and likely will
not be the last. The United States Attorney’s Office
will continue to make prosecution of these cases one of
our highest priorities.”
“The FBI is committed to working with
our law enforcement and intelligence community partners
to pursue those who act illegally as agents of foreign governments
while in our country," said Acting Assistant Director
Daniel L. Cloyd, FBI Counterintelligence Division.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Solomon
stated, “ South Florida takes pride in the diversity
of the people that have chosen to live here and we will
always embrace those that come here to enjoy the freedom
and opportunities that are available to us all. When unregistered
foreign agents believe that they can operate on our soil
with impunity and disregard for U.S. laws, it undermines
the national security of our country and the safety of our
citizens. This case demonstrates our resolve in ensuring
that activities conducted in the United States are free
from nefarious foreign influence.”
Mr. Acosta commended the investigative efforts
of the Federal Bureau of Investigation for its work in this
investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant
United States Attorney Thomas J. Mulvihill and Senior Trial
Attorney Clifford I. Rones, of the Counterespionage Section
at the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
A copy of this press release may be found
on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for
the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls.
Related court documents and information may be found on
the website of the District Court for the Southern District
of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov
or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
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