CNN: Trump administration quietly closes criminal probe into Venezuela businessman amid oil deal
The administration sought a stake in his company as Betancourt faced a yearslong money-laundering probe, and prosecutors later closed the case, reports said.
- The Trump administration quietly closed a criminal investigation into Venezuelan oil magnate Alejandro Betancourt to enlist him in engineering a massive new energy deal with Venezuela's government.
- Federal prosecutors in Miami shuttered the probe after receiving direct orders from then-Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, aiming to leverage Betancourt's access to Venezuelan energy infrastructure.
- For years, Betancourt was the subject of a Justice Department probe into a billion-dollar money laundering scheme, with investigators linking him to the 2018 'Operation Money Flight' affidavit.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the partnership, calling Betancourt "a proven operator" in a recent interview, despite criticism over his past ties to the Maduro regime.
- Plans aim to secure U.S. control of 65 billion barrels of oil reserves, with California-based Pacific Coast Energy Co. reaching preliminary agreements to help revive production.
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Trump team quietly closed probe into businessman eyed by US to broker Venezuela oil deal: Report
The Trump administration sought Alejandro Betancourt's help for a major US oil deal with Venezuela. Federal prosecutors recently closed their investigation into Betancourt after administration officials intervened. Betancourt was investigated as part of a probe into alleged embezzlement and laundering from PDVSA. His position shifted as the administration sought a larger role for US companies in Venezuela's oil industry.
The Venezuelan businessman "Bolichico" investigated in Spain has become Washington's indispensable intermediary in Caracas
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim A-ram = The U.S. Department of Justice is [investigating] the criminal investigation into Venezuelan businessman Alejandro Betancur, whom it has been investigating for 10 years on money laundering charges...
Secret phone call revealed that turned a wanted oilman into Trump's partner
A single phone call in March turned a wealthy Venezuelan oilman wanted abroad into the Trump administration's newest business partner, according to new reporting.According to a Friday Washington Post article, President Donald Trump's former special envoy for Latin America, Mauricio Claver-Carone, reached out to Alejandro Betancourt, a Venezuelan oil magnate running his operations from Britain. The Trump administration wanted a piece of his compa…
Trump administration quietly closes criminal probe into Venezuela businessman amid oil deal
For a decade, Venezuelan businessman Alejandro Betancourt has been ensnared in the tentacles of a sprawling Justice Department probe into a sophisticated billion-dollar money laundering scheme that US prosecutors allege embezzled funds from Venezuela’s state-owned oil company known as PDVSA.
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