司法部：国土安全特遣队逮捕委内瑞拉数十亿洗钱案嫌犯，10月13日迈阿密出庭
美国司法部10月11日宣布，国土安全特遣队已逮捕哥伦比亚籍男子阿尔瓦罗·普利多·巴尔加斯（Alvaro Pulido Vargas），他被控参与涉及委内瑞拉政府贿赂案的数十亿美元洗钱计划，将于10月13日（周二）下午在佛罗里达南区联邦法院初次出庭。
据司法部官方新闻稿，现年62岁的普利多·巴尔加斯（又名 German Enrique Rubio Salas）分别于2019年和2021年在两份联邦起诉书中被起诉，指控他参与两起独立的洗钱计划，为尼古拉斯·马杜罗政权下委内瑞拉政府官员的行贿和欺诈所得洗钱，金额超过20亿美元。起诉书称，在实施这些被指控罪行之前，普利多·巴尔加斯有长期贩毒史，包括1997年在意大利以 German Enrique Rubio Salas 为化名被定罪。
司法部刑事司助理部长 A. Tysen Duva 表示："阿尔瓦罗·普利多·巴尔加斯不再是逃犯。他被控参与两起重大的独立洗钱计划，均利用美国金融系统藏匿其贿赂和贪婪所得，而代价是委内瑞拉人民。"
据司法部长 Todd Blanche 在社交媒体上透露，此次行动由国土安全特遣队执行。据美联社报道，调查由缉毒局（DEA）、联邦调查局（FBI）和国土安全调查局（HSI）协同进行。美国此前曾悬赏最高1000万美元征集有助于逮捕或定罪普利多的线索。国土安全特遣队发言人 Nicole Navas Oxman 证实普利多目前已被美方羁押，但未透露其如何进入美方羁押的具体细节。
背景：普利多被指控与其长期商业伙伴 Alex Saab（马杜罗的一名前亲信）共同经营离岸空壳公司网络，向马杜罗的高级盟友行贿，以换取食品、药品和住房等政府合同。据美联社报道，普利多2023年曾在委内瑞拉国内针对国家石油公司 PDVSA 腐败的大规模整肃中被捕。
来源：美国司法部官方新闻稿、美联社。据司法部报道。
DOJ: Homeland Security Task Force Arrests Suspect in Multibillion-Dollar Venezuelan Money Laundering Case; Initial Appearance Oct. 13 in Miami
[GSM Federal, Oct. 11] The U.S. Department of Justice announced on Oct. 11 that the Homeland Security Task Force has arrested Colombian national Alvaro Pulido Vargas, charged in connection with multibillion-dollar money laundering schemes tied to Venezuelan government bribery. He will make his initial appearance on Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 13, in the Southern District of Florida.
According to the DOJ press release, Pulido Vargas, 62, also known as German Enrique Rubio Salas, was indicted in 2019 and again in 2021 in two separate federal indictments, charged with laundering more than $2 billion in proceeds of bribery and fraud involving Venezuelan government officials of the Nicolas Maduro regime. Prior to the alleged offenses, Pulido Vargas had a prolific history of drug trafficking, including a 1997 conviction in Italy under the alias German Enrique Rubio Salas.
"Alvaro Pulido Vargas is no longer a fugitive from justice," said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. "Pulido is charged in two separate, significant money laundering schemes, both using the U.S. financial system to hide the profits from his bribery and greed off the backs of the Venezuelan people."
According to Attorney General Todd Blanche, the operation was carried out by the Homeland Security Task Force. The Associated Press reported the investigation involved the DEA, the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations. The U.S. had previously offered a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to Pulido's arrest or conviction. Homeland Security Task Force spokesperson Nicole Navas Oxman confirmed Pulido is in U.S. custody but did not disclose how he came into American custody.
Background: Pulido is accused of operating an offshore shell company network with his longtime business associate Alex Saab, a onetime ally of Maduro, to funnel bribes to top Maduro allies in exchange for government contracts for food, medicine and housing. According to AP, Pulido was arrested in Venezuela in 2023 as part of a sprawling anti-corruption crackdown inside state oil company PDVSA.
Sources: U.S. Department of Justice press release, Associated Press. As reported by the DOJ.
图片来源：美国司法部大楼资料图 Photo: Gunnar Klack, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
