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Enforcement Action Dataset

 

Initiation Date:    07/25/2019  Information

Prosecuting Agency:    U.S. Department of Justice

Type of Action:    DOJ Criminal Proceeding

Docket or Case Number:    19-cr-20450

Court:    S.D. Florida

Name of Prosecuting Attorneys:   

  • Ariana Fajardo Orshan, United States Attorney
  • Michael B. Nadler, Assistant United States Attorney
  • Robert A. Zink, Acting Chief, Fraud Section, Criminal Division
  • John-Alex Romano, Trial Attorney, Fraud Section, Criminal Division

US Assisting Agencies:   

  • Federal Bureau of Investigation
  • U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
  • U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency

Foreign Enforcement Action/Investigation:    Unknown

Foreign Assistance:    Unknown

Origin of the Proceeding:    Unknown

Whistleblower:    Unknown

Case Status:    Ongoing


Summary  Information

Alex Nain Saab Moran and Alvaro Pulido Vargas, a/k/a "German Enrique Rubio Salas" were Colombian businessmen.

According to the documents in this case, from November 2011 through September 2015, Saab and Pulido conspired with others to launder the proceeds of an illegal bribery scheme in Venezuela. Saab and Pulido allegedly obtained a contract with the Venezuelan government in November 2011 to build low-income housing units, and then they took advantage of Venezuela’s government-controlled exchange rate, under which U.S. dollars could be obtained at a favorable rate, by submitting false and fraudulent import documents for goods and materials that were never imported into Venezuela and bribing Venezuelan government officials to approve those documents.

On July 25, 2019, the DOJ filed an eight count indictment in the Southern District of Florida against Saab and Pulido alleging conspiracy to commit money laundering and direct money laundering violations. The court transferred both defendants to fugitive status in August 2019. On April 5, 2021, Saab appealed that transfer, and the appeal is pending. On October 18, 2021, the DOJ announced that Saab had been extradited from Cabo Verde, and as part of the agreement with Cabo Verde for Saab's extradition, the DOJ moved on November 1, 2021, to dismiss counts 2-8 of the indictment against Saab, which the court granted the same day.

Saab filed a motion with the district court asking it to vacate the order transferring him to fugitive status and to allow him to file a special appearance to argue that he was immune from prosecution as a foreign diplomat. The court denied that motion, which Saab appealed to the Eleveth Circuit Court of Appeals. The Court of Appeals held that since Saab was no longer a fugitive so that portion was moot, but that the district court should still determine if he was immune from prosecution.

The jury trial originally scheduled to begin on October 11, 2022, was postponed while the court considered Saab's possible immunity. However, on December 23, 2022, the court held that Saab was not a foreign diplomat and thus could be prosecuted.

This case is ongoing.

The DOJ filed a separate indictment against Pulido in 2021 for what appears to be a related scheme involving other people.

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