Fugitive businessman taken into US custody in Venezuela bribery case
Quick Look
- Alvaro Pulido, a Colombian-born businessman wanted in the U.S. for allegedly bribing Venezuelan officials to secure state contracts, has been taken into custody following a DEA-led investigation.
- His arrest comes amid U.S. efforts to target Venezuelan insiders, with Pulido's longtime partner Alex Saab already deported and pleading guilty in a related case.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Alvaro Pulido was indicted in Miami federal court in 2019 and 2021 as part of an investigation into his business partner Alex Saab, a former ally of Nicolás Maduro. The U.S. had offered up to $10 million for information leading to his arrest. Pulido was previously arrested in Venezuela in 2023 during a corruption crackdown at PDVSA led by Delcy Rodríguez, who later became acting president after the U.S. military's ouster of Maduro in January.
MIAMI -- A businessman wanted for years in the U.S. for allegedly paying bribes to top Venezuelan officials in exchange for lucrative state contracts in Venezuela has been taken into custody.
Alvaro Pulido was indicted in Miami federal court in 2019 and again in 2021 as part of an investigation into his longtime business partner, Alex Saab, a one-time ally of ousted President Nicolás Maduro. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and State Department had been offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to his arrest.
Pulido was taken into U.S. custody after an investigation led by the DEA, FBI and Homeland Security Investigations agencies, Nicole Navas Oxman, a Homeland Security Task Force spokesperson, said Sunday.
Oxman didn't say how Pulido ended up in U.S. custody but said he will make his initial court appearance Tuesday in Miami.
Venezuelan authorities have so far been silent about the arrest, reflecting the challenge acting President Delcy Rodríguez faces appeasing elements of the ruling coalition that want her to resist attempts by the Trump administration to round up scores of Venezuelan insiders wanted by the U.S., sometimes for years, for serious crimes ranging from corruption to drug trafficking.
The Colombian-born Pulido was arrested in Venezuela in 2023 as part of a sprawling crackdown on corruption inside state-run oil company PDVSA that was led by Rodríguez while she was serving as Maduro's vice president. She took over as Venezuela's acting president following the U.S. military's ouster of Maduro in January.
Prosecutors allege that Pulido, together with Saab, created a network of offshore shell companies to funnel bribes to top Maduro allies in exchange for contracts to import food, medicine and low-cost housing at a time of widespread hardship in the South American country.
Saab, who also hails from Colombia, was deported to the U.S. by Rodríguez in May. Last month, he pleaded guilty in a related bribery case, agreeing to cooperate against Maduro and other individuals and forfeit $195 million in criminal proceeds from the corruption scheme.
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Durkin Richer reported from Washington.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Alvaro Pulido will make his initial court appearance in Miami on Tuesday
Very likely · Within days
Pulido may cooperate with U.S. prosecutors in exchange for a reduced sentence
Possible · Within weeks
Open Questions
- How did Alvaro Pulido end up in U.S. custody?
- What specific contracts did Pulido and Saab allegedly secure through bribes?
- Will Pulido cooperate with U.S. prosecutors like Alex Saab did?
- How will Venezuela's government respond to the arrest?
