George Semerene Quintero, 60, of Venezuela, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) for his role in a scheme to evade U.S. sanctions imposed on Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA), a Venezuelan state-owned oil company.
“This defendant admitted to participating in an illicit scheme to procure millions in aviation equipment for the Maduro regime,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “Today’s conviction demonstrates the Justice Department’s commitment to hold accountable those who seek to evade export controls and sanctions to prop up rogue authoritarians.”
“By lying to U.S. suppliers, falsifying customs forms and creating fake invoices, Semerene helped PDVSA evade U.S. sanctions,” said Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Matthew S. Axelrod of the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS). “But, as today’s guilty plea makes clear, what he couldn’t evade are the consequences of breaking U.S. law.”
“Today, George Semerene Quintero admitted that he conspired to circumvent economic sanctions and export controls to aid Nicolás Maduro’s regime in Venezuela in obtaining critical aircraft parts from the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida. “Together with the BIS and our law enforcement partners, we will continue to ensure that the integrity and intent of U.S. sanctions are preserved. Semerene’s guilty plea reflects our steadfast commitment to holding those who violate sanctions accountable and to vigorously enforcing export controls to protect our nation’s security.”
According to court documents, between January 2019 and December 2021, after learning of the sanctions imposed on PDVSA, Semerene and his co-conspirators devised a scheme to illegally procure aircraft parts—including bearings, rudder parts, joint slide flexes, and actuators—from the United States to service PDVSA’s aircraft fleet in Venezuela, violating U.S. sanctions and export controls.
Semerene was an employee in PDVSA's procurement department. He and his co-conspirators concealed from U.S. companies that the requested parts were destined for Venezuela and PDVSA by utilizing freight forwarders and shipping companies located in the Southern District of Florida.
The indictment charging Semerene and nine co-defendants was unsealed in April following Semerene's arrest upon his arrival in the United States.
Semerene is scheduled for sentencing on Nov. 5 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
BIS is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Stratton for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Ahmed Almudallal of the National Security Division's Counterintelligence and Export Control Section (CES) are prosecuting this case.
###