The manifest of an airplane is like an x-ray of its life. Who flew? To which destinations? Passports, names, frequency—everything is documented by the pilots who in recent years flew the Cessna Jet, designated N496RA, owned by Roberto Añez and David Brillembourg, as reported by Fernando A Martínez on SegurosyBanca.
According to information accessed by SegurosyBanca, the records of this aircraft involve military personnel and high-ranking officials of chavismo, along with financial operators who flew on this plane in the period before the sanctions, often heading to the state of Florida.
Back in 2014, during a crackdown on illegal currency operations between Venezuela and the United States, the Southern District of Florida’s prosecutor froze several accounts containing millions of dollars for possible violations of money transfer regulations.
Five money transfers from Panama and Venezuela totaled $17 million in banks such as Wells Fargo.
The freezing of accounts primarily affected Venezuelan businessman Roberto Antonio Añez, who, according to federal investigators, acknowledged engaging in the currency exchange business of bolivars and dollars “in what some call the black market,” the legal document claimed.
In a detailed 31-page complaint, IRS Special Agent Warren Rogers described the mechanisms for making payments and transfers to and from Venezuela, Mexico, Panama, Holland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, South Korea, Switzerland, Spain, and Aruba. The funds were funneled through a web of companies, some known for activities like a hotel construction and real estate firm in Miami owned by Venezuelan investors, while others appeared to operate as shell companies, according to the complaint.
One of the frozen accounts was in the name of International Services and Supplies Inc. (I.S. & S), which operated from Añez’s home in Coral Gables, Florida. Although the company listed international trade as one of its objectives, since 2010 it reported only three exports to Venezuela totaling $662,000, the complaint claimed.
Añez’s house in Coral Gables was under covert surveillance, allowing investigators to conclude that activities described by the registered businesses at that address were not actually taking place. The complaint noted that the residence was undergoing renovations. Some of the transfers were used to pay for Cessna aircraft parts, jewelry, artworks, and items from Hermes and Louis Vuitton.
The I.S. & S account received $9.2 million in deposits from firms like ABO International LLC and Waste Pro Solutions, which in turn had Añez as a signatory, suggesting that the businessman was both sender and beneficiary of these transfers.
Some expenditures from the account were allegedly used to pay for imported cars, equipment, and real estate, but investigators found no record indicating that I.S. & S had any background or experience in those areas. In other instances, bank transfers did not outline the purpose of the transaction. Many were only justified as “equipment purchases.”
One of the frozen accounts received transfers from Calton Hill Holdings, a foreign firm. According to the complaint, this company “has been the source of many wire transfers to numerous individuals and business bank accounts that ultimately led to the confiscation of real estate, bank accounts, and aircraft.”