MIAMI – Colombian businessman Alex Saab, a former close ally, minister and financial operator for Nicolás Maduro’s government, has pleaded guilty in a federal court in Miami to conspiracy to commit money laundering, marking a major development in a U.S. corruption investigation involving Venezuela.
Under an agreement reached with federal prosecutors, Saab agreed to forfeit $195 million linked to the alleged corruption scheme and cooperate with ongoing U.S. investigations. His cooperation could include providing information about former Venezuelan government officials, business associates and others connected to financial operations under Maduro’s government.
Federal prosecutor Jason A. Reding Quiñones left the court accompanied by representatives of the agencies involved in the investigation following Saab’s change of plea.
According to the prosecution, Saab and his associates exploited Venezuela’s Local Committees for Supply and Production, known by the Spanish acronym CLAP. The government food-distribution program was created to provide subsidized food to Venezuelans, particularly low-income households.
U.S. prosecutors allege that Saab and others used fraudulent contracts, falsified documents and shell companies to divert public resources while paying bribes to Venezuelan officials. The scheme allegedly generated substantial illicit proceeds that were subsequently moved through the international financial system.
Saab's case has had a complicated history.
He was arrested in Cape Verde in 2020 and later extradited to the United States. In December 2023, then-President Joe Biden granted Saab clemency as part of a prisoner exchange with Venezuela, allowing him to return to Caracas.
According to the information surrounding the latest case, however, prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida subsequently built a new prosecution based on conduct that was not covered by the 2023 clemency and filed a new indictment in January 2026.
Saab’s guilty plea does not yet determine the sentence he will receive. He faces a maximum prison term of 20 years and is scheduled to be sentenced in January.
His agreement to cooperate with federal investigators could now become one of the most consequential aspects of the case. Prosecutors could seek information about financial transactions, government contracts, intermediaries and officials involved in alleged corruption networks connected to Venezuela.
The extent of Saab's cooperation and whether it will result in charges or investigations involving other individuals have not been disclosed.
For years, Maduro’s government defended Saab and described him as a diplomat who had been improperly targeted by the United States. His guilty plea represents a significant reversal, with a man who occupied an important position within the Venezuelan government now formally admitting involvement in a money-laundering conspiracy before a U.S. federal court.