Venezuelan Oil Official Admits to Violating Sanctions, Export Controls

Venezuela citizen George Semerene Quintero pleaded guilty Aug. 20 to conspiring to evade U.S. sanctions on Petroleos de Venezuela (PdVSA), the Venezuelan state-owned oil company where he worked, DOJ announced.

From 2019 to 2021, Semerene operated a scheme to procure millions of dollars worth of "aircraft parts, including bearings, rudder parts, joint slide flexes and actuators," from the U.S. to be used in PdVSA's aircraft fleet in violation of U.S. sanctions and export controls, DOJ said. Semerene was an employee in the oil company's procurement wing and worked with co-conspirators to hide the final end use of the aircraft parts.

Semerene used freight forwarders and shipping companies in Florida to move the parts, lying to U.S. suppliers, submitting false declarations on customs forms, generating false supplier invoices and supplying false end-user certificates, DOJ said. Semerene worked with others to use third parties in other countries, including Costa Rican firm Novax Group and Spanish company Aerofalcon, to serve as the buyers and end users of the parts.

Semerene admitted that he "conspired to circumvent economic sanctions and export controls to aid" the Nicolas Maduro regime in Venezuela, U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe said. Lapointe said DOJ worked with the Bureau of Industry and Security and "law enforcement partners" on the case. BIS is still investigating, DOJ said.

DOJ charged Semerene and nine other co-conspirators, including three others with ties to PdVSA. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison.