El alemán-venezolano Matthias Krull se declaró culpable de lavado de dinero ante la Corte del Distrito Sur de la Florida, en Miami, como parte de una trama que destapó un esquema de blanqueó de capitales por 1.200 millones de dólares, que habrían sido desfalcados a la estatal Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA). Según el relato de Krull la conspiración comenzó en diciembre de 2014 con un plan diseñado para malversar alrededor de 600 millones de dólares obtenidos a través de sobornos y fraudes, él se unió a este esquema en 2016.
La periodista venezolana Tamoa Calzadilla, de la cadena Univisión, publicó en su twiter que «en la lectura de los hechos se mencionó a “los chamos”, identificados extraoficialmente como “los hijastros” del presidente Nicolás Maduro».
El Matthías Krull era ejecutivo del Banco Suizo cuando aceptó ser parte de una «conspiración para cometer lavado de dinero», en la demanda también están involucrados los venezolanos Abraham Edgardo Ortega, exdirector ejecutivo de Finanzas de PDVSA; Carmelo Urdaneta, ex asesor legal del Ministerio de Petróleo y Minería de Venezuela; Francisco Convit Guruceaga y José Vicente Amparan Croquer.
Krull, tiene 44 años, residía en Panamá y al momento de su detención estaba en Miami, recibirá sentencia el próximo 29 de octubre por la jueza Cecilia M. Altonaga, destaca el Departamento de Justicia de Estados Unidos.
Aquí la nota de prensa de la Corte del Distrito Sur de la Florida (en inglés):
Former Swiss Bank Executive Pleads Guilty to Role in Billion-Dollar International Money Laundering Scheme Involving Funds Embezzled from Venezuelan State-Owned Oil Company
The former managing director and vice chairman of a Swiss bank pleaded guilty today for his role in a billion-dollar international scheme to launder funds embezzled from Venezuelan state-owned oil company Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA).U.S. Attorney Benjamin Greenberg of the Southern District of Florida, Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and Special Agent in Charge Mark Selby of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami Field Office made the announcement.
Matthias Krull, 44, a German national and Panamanian resident, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 29 by U.S. District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga of the Southern District of Florida, who accepted his plea today.
As part of his plea, Krull admitted that in his position with the Swiss bank, he attracted private clients, particularly clients from Venezuela, to the bank. In this role, Krull’s clients included Francisco Convit Guruceaga, who was indicted on money laundering charges on Aug. 16. Krull’s clients also included three unnamed conspirators described in the Aug. 16 indictment.
Krull admitted that the conspiracy began in December 2014 with a currency exchange scheme that was designed to embezzle around $600 million from PDVSA, obtained through bribery and fraud, and the conspirators’ efforts to launder a portion of the proceeds of that scheme. By May 2015, the conspiracy had doubled in amount to $1.2 billion embezzled from PDVSA. PDVSA is Venezuela’s primary source of income and foreign currency (namely, U.S. Dollars and Euros). Krull joined the conspiracy in or around 2016, he admitted, when a co-conspirator contacted him to launder the proceeds of a PDVSA foreign-exchange embezzlement scheme.
Ultimately, Krull joined the conspiracy to launder $1.2 billion worth of funds that were embezzled from PDVSA, he admitted. Krull and members of the money laundering conspiracy used Miami, Florida real estate and sophisticated false-investment schemes to conceal that the $1.2 billion was in fact embezzled from PDVSA. Krull also admitted that surrounding and supporting these false-investment laundering schemes are complicit money managers, brokerage firms, banks and real estate investment firms in the United States and elsewhere, operating as a network of professional money launderers.
Krull’s co-conspirators indicted on Aug. 16 include former PDVSA officials, professional third-party money launderers, and members of the Venezuelan elite, sometimes known as “boliburgués.”
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
This case is the result of ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force’s (OCDETF) “Operation Money Flight,” a partnership among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The OCDETF mission is to identify, investigate and prosecute high-level members of drug trafficking enterprises, bringing together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state and local law enforcement.
Mr. Greenberg and Mr. Benczkowski commended the investigative efforts of HSI Miami, HSI London, HSI Rome and HSI Madrid in this matter. This case is being prosecuted by Southern District of Florida Assistant U.S. Attorneys Francisco R. Maderal of the International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section and Michael Nadler of the Economic and Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant Chief David Johnson and Trial Attorney Gwendolyn Stamper of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nalina Sombuntham of the Southern District of Florida is handling the asset forfeiture.
The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance in this matter, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection; the National Crime Agency of the United Kingdom; and Italian, Spanish and Maltese law enforcement authorities provided assistance.
The Fraud Section is responsible for investigating and prosecuting all Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) matters. Additional information about the Justice Department’s FCPA enforcement efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal/fraud/fcpa.