Individual Sentenced for Kingpin Act Sanctions Violations

A Florida man was sentenced to 55 months in prison in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York for his participation in a scheme to provide private charter flight services to former Venezuelan Vice President Tareck Zaidan El Aissami Maddah and his associate, Samark Jose Lopez Bello, in violation of OFAC Rule 598 ("Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act" or the "Kingpin Act").

According to the 2019 superseding indictment, the defendant and his employee allegedly used the defendant's U.S.-based aircraft charter company and, at times, U.S.-registered aircraft to fly the sanctioned Venezuelan nationals from Russia and the Dominican Republic to Venezuela. In a press release, the DOJ stated that the defendant arranged between 20 to 25 domestic Venezuelan flights that facilitated Nicolás Maduro's 2018 campaign for reelection as Venezuela's president.

In connection with these allegations, the defendant pleaded guilty in January 2021 to five counts of violating, conspiring to violate and evading the Kingpin Act and related regulations administered by OFAC.