There’s more to Raúl Gorrín. The United States Department of Justice has just scratched the surface. On Tuesday, December 1, 2009, Gorrín sent an email that included, among other things, the following instruction:
Amount 3,850,000
HSBC PRIVATE BANK (SWITZERLAND) SA 2, General Guisan CH1211 Geneva Swift: BLICCHGG
Attention: Angelo Mazzarella Beneficiary Bellsite Overseas S.A Account no. 1574680
HSBC was mentioned in Gorrín’s indictment (page 8). But what about Angelo Mazzarella? And what about Bellsite Overseas S.A.? HSBC’s involvement in rampant corruption in Venezuela is not news; it’s their business model worldwide. However, Angelo Mazzarella, in the context of the massive scandal involving Gorrín and Andrade in the Venezuelan Treasury, is relatively new, at least in this context.
Angelo Mazzarella is part of a group (Francisco and Massimo) that has served the thug oligarchs for years. Mazzarella’s connections with Moris Beracha, Luis Benshimol, Luis Otero, Fernando Fiksman, Leonard Boord, and his silent partner, Armando “Pelón” Capriles, are well-known in Venezuela. The Mazzarellas have turned the Dominican Republic into their new oyster. That’s where they’re “investing” and presenting themselves as “real estate developers.” They have access to the highest offices.
Mazzarella is destined to be a banker, a banker at HSBC. From there, he moved to J. Safra Sarasin, another beacon of integrity.
Eden Roc in Cap Cana is owned by Solaya Hotels and Resorts SRL, a shell company incorporated in the Dominican Republic, which in turn is owned by Pelikan Group International Corp, a Panamanian shell company controlled by Angelo and Massimo Mazzarella. Where does the money come from to develop all this property? Because the Mazzarella’s property portfolio doesn’t stop in the Dominican Republic.
They also own several properties on Fisher Island, which they control through a series of shells registered in Florida (MAGNA CASA FISHER ISLAND INC., ROMA PROPERTY INVESTMENTS LLC, COASTAL DRIVE PROPERTY INC., COASTAL DRIVE II INC., DAMA HOLDING LLC, PLASTIC RACING STABLES LLC, 3545167, LLC, Q CLUB RESORT AND RESIDENCES CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION, INC., MADA DESIGN CONSTRUCTION INC.).
Beracha, Otero, Fiksman, Benshimol, Capriles, and Boord are all associated with Celistics and Movilway, telecommunications companies “based” in Madrid, which somehow managed to secure distribution agreements in LatAm from the Spanish telecom giant Telefónica.
Boord has his own “investment” vehicles and is, according to sources, a trusted agent of Armando “Pelón” Capriles. Boord is now active in the cryptocurrency scene. Boord’s brother was married to Pelón’s sister, hence the connection. Boord is part of several executive boards, and curiously, Rick Scott appointed him as a trustee of Florida International University.
Capriles is quite a player within the Boligarch world. For years, he maintained a relationship with Nelson Merentes similar to that which Gorrín had with Andrade. That is to say, the placement of billions of dollars in official deposits, bonds, and other instruments was controlled by Capriles, who must have made a substantial amount of change for himself and his master.
But back to Gorrín, let’s continue with Bellsite Overseas S.A., a Panamanian shell whose director is none other than Luis Maria Piñeyrüa Pittaluga, the Uruguayan operator who assisted Lava Jato luminaries Eduardo Cunha and Nestor Cerveró (former Petrobras director).
Sources report that Mazzarella became Gorrín’s personal banker in 2007 and continued for quite some time after. Gorrín’s wife, María Alexandra Perdomo Rosales, was also a client of Mazzarella. The Department of Justice would do well to continue investigating the Mazzarellas and their “investments.” There might be some more assets to freeze.