George Semerene Quintero, a 61-year-old Venezuelan national, was sentenced to 30 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his involvement in a scheme to evade U.S. sanctions on Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PdVSA), the state-owned oil company of Venezuela. The charges against Semerene include conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen stated, "Today, the defendant George Semerene Quintero is being held accountable for his role in a brazen scheme to illegally funnel American aircraft parts to service planes used by Maduro and his cronies." He emphasized the Justice Department's commitment to enforcing sanctions on the Maduro regime.
Matthew S. Axelrod from the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security remarked that Semerene conspired to procure critical parts from U.S. companies for PdVSA's aircraft fleet, attempting to conceal these transactions through intermediaries in countries like Spain and Costa Rica.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida commented on the prosecution's reflection of their commitment to upholding sanctions and export controls: "The prosecution of Semerene reflects our steadfast commitment to holding those who violate sanctions accountable."
Court documents reveal that between January 2019 and December 2021, after learning about U.S. sanctions on PdVSA, Semerene and co-conspirators devised a plan to acquire aircraft parts from the United States under false pretenses. They used third-party companies such as Novax Group SA in Costa Rica and Aerofalcon SL in Spain as fronts for these purchases.
The indictment involving Semerene and nine others associated with PdVSA was unsealed following his arrest upon arrival in the United States. He pleaded guilty on August 20.
The case was investigated by BIS with Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Stratton for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Ahmed Almudallal prosecuting it, along with assistance from other officials including Maria Medetis and Matthew McKenzie.