The Justice Department has transferred $300,921.09 in forfeited criminal assets to Bonaire, a special Dutch Caribbean municipality within the Netherlands. This transfer recognizes Bonaire’s assistance to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in investigating and forfeiting proceeds from an unlicensed money transmitting business operating on the black market for exchanging Venezuelan bolivars for U.S. dollars.
This marks the first international sharing of forfeited assets between the United States and Bonaire. Bonaire’s Public Prosecutor's Office plans to use these funds to support ongoing criminal justice efforts.
The funds are part of net assets forfeited by U.S. authorities from an investigation into Hjalmar Gibelli Gomez's unlicensed money transmitting business, which operated through his Venezuelan insurance agency, Resguardo Sociedad de Corretahe. The business exchanged Venezuelan bolivars for U.S. dollars on a black market currency exchange, violating U.S. law. The illicit funds were used to promote Gibelli’s illegal operations and launder money, including transferring $2,486,525 to purchase a luxury yacht named “Navigante.”
On Dec. 22, 2017, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri filed a civil forfeiture complaint against the yacht and other assets held by Gibelli. According to court documents, the yacht is subject to forfeiture as property involved in transactions violating U.S. money laundering statutes or as property traceable to such violations. Bonaire authorities played a crucial role by restraining the Navigante in their territory, offloading its crew safely, and assisting in its transfer to the United States. Gibelli consented to the forfeiture of the Navigante and other properties.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Casey for the Eastern District of Missouri prosecuted the case with substantial assistance from the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and U.S. Marshals Service. The DEA and IRS Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation.
The Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS) provided assistance in connection with this international sharing process.
MLARS’ International Unit administers the department’s international asset forfeiture sharing program under federal law coordination with the Departments of Treasury and State.