Alex Saab, a man widely considered to be Nicolás Maduro’s top money launderer, pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges of cleaning dirty cash.
Tuesday’s guilty plea comes nearly two years after former U.S. President Joe Biden pardoned Saab in 2023 while he faced criminal charges in a separate money laundering case.
The U.S. Department of Justice detailed that Saab, a 54 year-old Colombian businessman and the deposed Venezuelan dictator’s former Industries Minister, plead guilty to to conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, facing up to 20 years in prison. A sentencing date to be set at a later time. U.S. District Judge Kathleen M. Williams heard the plea in Miami.
“Criminals like Alex Saab who stole from the people of Venezuela and worked to exploit and misuse American financial institutions to fund illicit activities will be held accountable by this FBI,” FBI Director Kash Patel said. “The message is clear – under the leadership of the Trump administration, this FBI will work with our partners to deploy all necessary resources to protect the integrity of U.S. financial institutions and track down those who profit from these criminal operations.”
Reuters reports that as part of his plea deal, Alex Saab agreed to forfeit $195 million and cooperate with the U.S. Department of Justice. Saab had originally pleaded “not guilty” to the laundering charges in July.
For years, Alex Saab has been widely described as Nicolás Maduro’s “financial brain” and a close member of the deposed dictator’s innermost circle.
Saab long stood accused of being at the center of a widespread corruption and money laundering scandal involving CLAP, a highly-corrupt socialist food program launched by Maduro in the mid-2010s during the socialism-induced collapse of Venezuela.
FILE/Nicolas Maduro (2nd L), receives businessman Alex Saab (2nd R), at the Miraflores Palace, in Caracas, Venezuela on December 20, 2023. Colombian businessman and diplomat Alex Saab was released by Washington in exchange for Caracas agreeing to release 36 people, including 12 American citizens. (Photo by Pedro Rances Mattey/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The U.S. Department of Justice originally indicted Saab in 2019 on charges of using the U.S. financial system to launder $350 million from Venezuela’s state coffers. A year later, in 2020, he was arrested by U.S. officials in Cape Verde — however, former U.S. President Joe Biden pardoned Saab and returned him to Venezuela in December 2023 while trial proceedings were underway.
Maduro received Saab as a “hero” of his socialist regime. Prior to his release, the rogue socialists had launched a massive international campaign demanding Saab’s release that included the participation of notorious far-left organizations such as CODEPINK — whose members met with Alex Saab in 2024.
“In December 2023, President Biden granted Alex Saab clemency while he was awaiting trial in this district, and Saab was released from federal custody and returned to Venezuela. But that was not the end of the story,” Jason A. Reding Quiñones, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, said.
“Our office built a new criminal case, secured a new indictment in January 2026, and, working with our federal and international partners, brought Saab back before a federal court in Miami on May 18,” he continued. “Today, he is accepting responsibility for his crimes.
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Assistant Attorney General Andrew Tysen Duva pointed out that Saab exploited the U.S. financial system to profit off the backs of the Venezuelan people, creating a complex web of front companies, shell accounts, and false records to further his scheme.
Following Nicolás Maduro’s arrest by U.S. forces in January, the Venezuelan socialist regime appears to have drastically changed its relationship with the former Minister. In May, Venezuelan authorities announced that Saab had been extradited to the United States to face trial. The socialist regime described Saab as a “Colombian” national, marking a significant departure for years of claiming that he was “Venezuelan” when Maduro demanded his liberation of U.S. custody.
Hours after Saab’s extradition, Venezuelan Interior Minister and long-suspected drug lord Diosdado Cabello accused Saab of bearing “fake” Venezuelan identity documents.
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