Dear ICE,
Saw your news release yesterday about Raul Gorrin, entitled "Venezuelan attorney and businessman added to ICE Most Wanted List for conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and money laundering."
Fantastic stuff. Kudos on a job well done. I must, however, encourage you to keep it up, to expand that "most wanted list" with other Venezuelan thugs that, like Gorrin, are involved in FCPA breaches, corruption, and money laundering on a massive scale.
From the same Florida case noted in your release about Gorrin (Operation Money Flight), there's Francisco Convit, also indicted by the Justice Department and currently in fugitive status. In that very case there's a number of unindicted co-conspirators:
- Alejandro Betancourt (aka Leopoldo Alejandro Betancourt Lopez), co-conspirator number 2, partner of both Gorrin (Petrosur) and Convit (Derwick Associates, Derwick Oil & Gas, Petrozamora). Betancourt maintains residences in London and in Madrid. He travels with numerous Venezuelan passports and an Italian passport. Betancourt, Convit and Gorrin were involved in the Florida case mentioned. Betancourt and Convit were involved in a previous money laundering scheme -centered also in PDVSA and approved by Rafael Ramirez- worth $4.5 billion. Other parties (mentioned below) participated and merit inclusion in your most wanted list;
- Orlando Alvarado (aka Orlando Jose Alvarado Moreno), co-conspirator number 4 along Gorrin, Convit and Betancourt, CFO of Derwick Associates, Derwick Oil & Gas, involved in Petrozamora;
- Luis Oberto (aka Luis Alfonso Oberto Anselmi), associate of Convit and Betancourt in $4.5 billion money laundering mentioned earlier, former partner of Gorrin, currently part of criminal probe by Michael Nadler in Florida;
- Ignacio Oberto (aka Ignacio Enrique Oberto Anselmi), brother of Luis, associate of Convit and Betancourt, former partner of Gorrin; currently part of criminal probe by Michael Nadler in Florida;
- Juan Andres Wallis Brandt, proxy / associate of Oberto bros in $4.5 billion money laundering mentioned;
- Danilo Diazgranados (aka Danilo Diazgranados Manglano), associate of Convit, Betancourt and Oberto brothers in $4.5 billion money laundering scheme approved by Ramirez, facilitated laundering of $3 billion tranche through Compagnie Bancaire Helvetique. Involved in other money laundering operations with FONDEN worth £1.2 billion (Sterling);
- Charles Henry de Beaumont, banker from Compagnie Bancaire Helvetique, associate of Diazgranados and the Oberto brothers in laundering $3 billion worth of PDVSA funds. Part of Nadler's probe in Florida;
- Joseph Benhamou, CEO of Compagnie Bancaire Helvetique, associate of Diazgranados and the Oberto brothers in laundering $3 billion worth of PDVSA funds;
- Pedro Binnagia (aka Pedro Binnagia Coto), confidential source that revealed to DoJ Operation Money Flight. Binnagia was also involved in previous $4.5 billion money laundering scheme with Convit, Betancourt, and the Oberto bros;
- Pablo Custer, EFG banker, facilitated laundering of $1.5 billion in Convit, Betancourt, Obertos scheme;
- Dieter Staeubli, EFG banker and colleague of Custer, shareholder at Banca Credinvest (controlled by Betancourt et al), facilitated laundering of $1.5 billion tranche in Convit, Betancourt, Obertos scheme;
- Rafael Ramirez (aka Rafael Darío Ramírez Carreño), CEO of PDVSA, ultimately responsible for approval of both Operation Money Flight and previous $4.5 billion money laundering scheme. His signature in original document agreeing to disbourse $4.5 billion to Convit, Betancourt, Oberto bros, et al;
- Angelo Mazzarella (aka Angelo Raffaele Mazzarella Santacroce), HSBC / J. Safra Sarasin banker to Gorrin and members of your Most Wanted list Tareck el Aissami and Samark Lopez Bello. Proxy / associate of Diazgranados in Eden Roc Dominicana. All round money launderer in the mold of de Beaumont, Binaggia, Custer and Staeubli;
- Asdrubal Chavez, signed in original document agreeing to disbourse $4.5 billion to Convit, Betancourt, Oberto bros, et al;
- Eulogio del Pino, signed in original document agreeing to disbourse $4.5 billion to Convit, Betancourt, Oberto bros, et al;
- Victor Aular, signed in original document agreeing to disbourse $4.5 billion to Convit, Betancourt, Oberto bros, et al;
- Alvaro Ledo Nass, un-indicted co-conspirator number 1 in Operation Money Flight, board member of first Petrozamora board.