MIAMI — A final judgment forfeiting to the United States over $20 million in foreign bribery and money laundering proceeds, including interest was entered following a joint investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami El Dorado Taskforce and the IRS-CI Miami Field Office.
On Aug. 9, 2023, the Justice Department filed a civil forfeiture complaint against approximately $21,248,434.25 in U.S. currency alleging that the funds were proceeds of foreign bribery and money laundering offenses. As alleged in the complaint, from 2008 to 2014, a Venezuelan national, Naman Wakil, controlled a number of companies that sold food products to Venezuela’s state-owned food agency, Corporacion de Abastecimiento y Servicios Agricola (CASA). To obtain these food contracts, Wakil paid tens of millions of dollars in bribes to multiple presidents of CASA. As a result of those bribes, Wakil, through his companies, obtained hundreds of millions of dollars in proceeds into accounts he controlled in the Cayman Islands and Switzerland. Wakil laundered the proceeds from the scheme into South Florida and elsewhere.
“This significant forfeiture underscores the HSI Miami El Dorado Task Force’s commitment to safeguarding the U.S. financial system from illicit activities. We will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that those who seek to launder money through our financial institutions are held accountable,” said HSI Miami acting Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, acting Special Agent in Charge Jose R. Figueroa of HSI Miami and acting Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Hipkins of IRS-CI Miami Field Office made the announcement.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marx P. Calderón, Michael Berger, and Joshua Paster prosecuted this case.
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