Venezuela Deports Alex Saab To U.S. To Face Expanded Corruption Charges
Venezuela deported businessman Alex Saab to the United States to face expanded corruption and money-laundering charges, U.S. prosecutors and Venezuelan officials said.[1]
U.S. prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida secured a redacted, single-count money-laundering indictment tied to Venezuela's CLAP food program against Saab in January 2026.[2] Saab had been listed as an unindicted co-conspirator in a 2021 Southern District of Florida bribery and money-laundering case involving the same program.[2] Around March 2026, senior Justice Department officials ordered federal prosecutors in Miami to open a new criminal investigation targeting detained former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.[2] The Miami probe is overseen by veteran international-crimes prosecutor Michael Berger and involves agents from the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and IRS Criminal Investigation.[2]
Justice Department and White House officials privately expressed concern that the existing New York indictment of Maduro contains no money-laundering charges and instead focuses on narcoterrorism, cocaine importation and firearms offenses.[2] Prosecutors have pursued new money-laundering work tied to Venezuela's oil and the CLAP food program to fill that gap, according to people briefed on the investigations.[2]
U.S. reporting has shifted from emphasizing narcotics and weapons allegations to also highlighting alleged billion-dollar corruption tied to oil deals and the CLAP program connected to Saab.[1] Saab's deportation hands U.S. prosecutors a live defendant to pursue those money-laundering claims even as Maduro remains in U.S. custody on separate New York charges.[2]
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📌 Key Facts
- Around March 2026, senior Justice Department officials ordered federal prosecutors in Miami to open a new criminal investigation targeting detained former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, even though he was already in U.S. custody on New York charges.
- The new Miami probe is overseen by veteran international-crimes prosecutor Michael Berger and involves agents from the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and IRS Criminal Investigation.
- In January 2026, prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida secured a redacted, single-count money‑laundering indictment tied to Venezuela's CLAP food program against Alex Saab.
- Saab had previously been an unindicted co‑conspirator in a 2021 Southern District of Florida bribery and money‑laundering case involving the same CLAP program.
- Justice Department and White House officials have privately expressed concern that the existing New York indictment of Maduro contains no money‑laundering charges and instead focuses on narcoterrorism, cocaine importation and firearms offenses.
📰 Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Around March 2026, senior Justice Department officials ordered federal prosecutors in Miami to open a new criminal investigation targeting detained former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, even though he was already in U.S. custody on New York charges.
- The new Miami probe is overseen by veteran international-crimes prosecutor Michael Berger and involves agents from the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and IRS Criminal Investigation.
- A new single-count money-laundering indictment against Alex Saab, tied to Venezuela's CLAP food program, was secured in January 2026 in the Southern District of Florida with other defendants' names redacted.
- Saab had previously been an unindicted co-conspirator in a 2021 Southern District of Florida bribery and money-laundering case involving the same CLAP program.
- Justice Department and White House officials have privately expressed concern that the existing New York indictment of Maduro contains no money-laundering charges, focusing instead on narcoterrorism, cocaine importation, and firearms offenses.