ICE adds Venezuelan attorney, businessman to Most Wanted List for money laundering

County Examiner was opposed to the idea of Congress granting Temporary Protected Status or TPS from deportation for Venezuelans in the United States. Back in July 2019 CE published a story about two bills winding their way through Congress which sought to give an amnesty to Venezuelans whose asylum applications could be denied or those whose visas were approaching expiration.

CE cited public documents obtained from the Florida Department of Children and Families Refugee Task Force with knowledge of thousands of Venezuelans in the Tampa Bay area intending to thumb their nose at our Rule of Law and remain in the community without documentation.

An announcement was made to 63 attendees of the Tampa Bay Area Refugee Task Force meeting held January 22, 2019.

“…a brief announcement by Norma Reno, president of the Casa de Venezuela of Tampa Bay organization. She announced that there are currently over 20,000 from Venezuela in the Tampa Bay area. While some are seeking asylum, many are also concerned about being denied asylum and are staying in the community without documentation. Casa de Venezuela is offering English classes & civic classes to educate the community as well as support services for those in need. Task Force members will stay connected with this and other organizations serving those from Venezuela to ensure that they are aware of the services we can provide for those who qualify and are in need."

Now today we learned a Venezuelan attorney and businessman wanted for conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and several counts of money laundering was added to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Most Wanted List earlier this month, according to an ICE news release.

MIAMI – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) announced earlier this month the addition of Raul Antonio De La Santisima Trinidad Gorrin Belisario, a Venezuelan attorney and businessman, to its Most Wanted list for conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and several counts of money laundering. The action follows an indictment filed August 16, 2017, in the Southern District of Florida, Gorrin Belisario’s subsequent escape from justice, and the updated FinCEN advisory (FIN-2019-A002, published by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network May 3, 2019) regarding widespread public corruption in Venezuela.

The indictment alleges that Gorrin Belisario, 50, a Venezuelan citizen with a residence in Miami, Florida, paid millions of dollars in bribes to two high-level Venezuelan officials to secure the rights to conduct foreign currency exchange transactions at favorable rates for the Venezuelan government. In addition to wiring money to bribe the officials, he allegedly purchased and paid expenses for them related to private jets, yachts, homes, champion horses, high-end watches, and a fashion line. To conceal the bribery payments, Gorrin Belisario made payments through multiple shell companies. Furthermore, he allegedly partnered with other subjects to acquire Banco Peravia, a bank in the Dominican Republic, to launder bribes paid to Venezuelan officials and stash the illicit proceeds of the scheme.

Gorrin Belisario was last seen in Caracas, Venezuela, and currently remains at-large

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