In brief
A 62‑year‑old Colombian, Álvaro Pulido, was arrested in the U.S. on Sunday after a Homeland‑Security Task Force operation. Pulido faces two federal indictments alleging the laundering of more than $2 billion linked to Venezuelan government bribery, including schemes involving the state‑run oil company PDVSA and food‑and‑medicine contracts. He was previously jailed in Venezuela since March 2023 for diverting PDVSA profits and has now been charged in U.S. courts; a $10 million reward was offered for information leading to his arrest. The case follows recent U.S. actions against Alex Saab, a former Venezuelan minister who pleaded guilty to related money‑laundering charges.
Álvaro Pulido, a 62‑year‑old Colombian, was detained in the United States on Sunday during a Homeland‑Security Task Force operation. Pulido is wanted for allegedly laundering more than $2 billion in connection with Venezuelan government bribery schemes, according to two U.S. federal indictments.
He had been imprisoned in Venezuela since March 2023 on accusations of diverting profits from the state‑run oil company PDVSA. U.S. prosecutors say Pulido and four co‑defendants overcharged the Venezuelan government for food and medicine contracts and funneled the excess profits through bank accounts abroad, including in the United States.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the State Department had offered a $10 million reward for information leading to his arrest. Pulido is scheduled to appear in federal court on Tuesday.
The arrest comes two months after Alex Saab, a former Venezuelan industry minister linked to the Maduro regime, pleaded guilty to similar money‑laundering charges in a U.S. court. Saab was extradited from Venezuela to the United States in May after the new interim government removed him from office early in 2024.
