Circumvention of US sanctions led to the initiation of a criminal case, the accused faces up to 20 years in prison
George Semeren Quintero, 60, from Venezuela, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and participation in a scheme to evade US sanctions imposed against the Venezuelan state oil company Petróleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA).
“This defendant confessed to participating in an illegal scheme to purchase millions of dollars worth of aviation equipment for the Maduro regime,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Department of Justice’s National Security division.
According to court documents, between January 2019 and December 2021, after learning about the sanctions imposed on PDVSA, Semerene and his accomplices developed a scheme to illegally purchase parts for PDVSA aircraft in Venezuela from the United States, including bearings, rudder parts, flexible joints and actuators
Semeren and his accomplices used companies from Costa Rica and Spain for supplies.
Semeren is due to be sentenced on November 5 and faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
