A Colombian national long accused of laundering billions tied to Nicolás Maduro’s regime is in U.S. custody and due in federal court in South Florida on Tuesday, the Justice Department announced Sunday.
Who was arrested
Alvaro Pulido Vargas, 62, also known as German Enrique Rubio Salas, was arrested in a Homeland Security Task Force operation, Fox News reported, citing the department. He faces charges from 2019 and 2021 indictments alleging money laundering linked to Venezuelan government bribery schemes.
- Court date: Initial appearance Tuesday, Oct. 13, Southern District of Florida.
- 2021 case: Alleged laundering tied to about $1.6 billion in CLAP food-and-medicine contracts obtained through bribes; about $180 million moved through or into the United States, DOJ said.
- 2019 case: Alleged scheme with Maduro ally Alex Nain Saab Moran to move about $350 million linked to a low-income housing contract and Venezuela’s currency exchange system.
What prosecutors allege
Prosecutors say Pulido Vargas and associates paid bribes to win inflated contracts meant to feed and house Venezuelans, then moved profits through banks in Antigua, the United Arab Emirates, the United States and elsewhere.
“Pulido is charged in two separate, significant money laundering schemes, both using the U.S. financial system to hide the profits from his bribery and greed off the backs of the Venezuelan people,” Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva said in the DOJ release.
Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the arrest on X, saying Pulido Vargas corrupted programs meant to provide food, medicine and housing. DEA Administrator Terrance Cole said agents had pursued him across borders for years.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Justice: Homeland Security Task Force Arrests Alvaro Pulido Vargas…, Oct. 11, 2026.
- Fox News: Maduro-linked fugitive nabbed over alleged scheme to cash in on Venezuelans’ basic needs, Oct. 11, 2026.
File photo: VOA, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (U.S. Department of Justice building).
