In brief
A 62‑year‑old Colombian businessman, Álvaro Pulido, was apprehended in the United States on allegations of laundering more than $2 bn linked to Venezuelan government bribery schemes. Pulido, who had previously faced charges in Venezuela for diverting PDVSA profits, was seized during a Homeland Security Task Force operation. The U.S. Department of Justice’s indictment lists over five co‑defendants and alleges that Pulido overcharged the state for essential supplies, funneling proceeds through U.S. bank accounts. He is scheduled to appear in court, while the case follows the recent admission of guilt by fellow Colombian Alex Saab, a former Venezuelan minister. The crackdown underscores growing U.S. scrutiny of multinational corruption that may undermine public resources and, by extension, the livelihoods of vulnerable communities.
A Colombian man wanted for allegedly laundering money that had been illegally siphoned off a Venezuelan government welfare plan has been detained in the United States.
The U.S. Department of Justice said Álvaro Pulido, 62, was arrested during a Homeland Security Task Force operation on Sunday, though it did not disclose how he came to be in U.S. custody.
Pulido had been in jail in Venezuela since March 2023 on accusations of diverting profits from the state‑run oil company PDVSA.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and State Department had offered a $10 million reward for information leading to his arrest.
He is due to appear in court on Tuesday, according to a statement released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Pulido’s arrest follows two months after fellow Colombian businessman Alex Saab pleaded guilty to money‑laundering charges in a U.S. court.
The U.S. State Attorney’s Office said Pulido faced two federal indictments “involving the alleged laundering of more than $2 bn” tied to Venezuelan bribery schemes.
The indictment accuses Pulido, along with four co‑defendants, of bribing Venezuelan officials to secure contracts for food and medicine to poor Venezuelans, while wildly overcharging and laundering profits through foreign bank accounts, including in the United States.
Prosecutors also claim Pulido worked with Alex Saab to launder $350 m from a separate bribery scheme involving Venezuela’s currency exchange system using accounts in Florida.
Saab, once a powerful figure within the Venezuelan government and named minister of industry in 2024, saw his position revoked soon after U.S. forces seized Nicolás Maduro in January and extradited Saab to the United States.
Less than two weeks after the Maduro raid, the U.S.-backed interim government sacked Saab and later extradited him in May. In June, Saab pleaded guilty to money‑laundering charges.
