Maduro ally deported to US over alleged billion-dollar corruption scheme tied to oil, food program Alex Saab, a close ally of ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, has been deported to the U.S. to face federal charges for allegedly orchestrating a sweeping money laundering and bribery scheme. Prosecutors allege that Saab embezzled funds from Venezuela’s state-run food program and illegally sold billions of dollars worth of Venezuelan oil while circumventing U.S. sanctions. The proceeds were allegedly laundered through U.S. bank accounts, leading to his prosecution.

• Alex Nain Saab Moran, a Colombian national and former minister under the Maduro regime, has been deported to the U.S.
• He faces federal charges in Miami for allegedly orchestrating a money laundering and bribery scheme tied to Venezuela’s state-run food program and oil industry.
• Prosecutors claim Saab led a scheme beginning around 2015 to defraud a humanitarian program and later sell billions of dollars’ worth of Venezuelan oil, circumventing U.S. sanctions.
• The alleged proceeds were routed through U.S. bank accounts to conceal transactions and further the scheme.
• Saab was previously indicted in 2019, extradited from Cabo Verde in 2021, and pardoned in 2023 as part of a prisoner swap, though the new case involves alleged conduct not covered by that pardon.
• If convicted, Saab faces up to 20 years in federal prison, and the government seeks forfeiture of alleged illicit proceeds.