A Venezuelan citizen residing in the U.S., Juan Carlos Cairo-Padrón, 56, and his American partner, Thomas Michael Fortinberry, 51, were arrested this Thursday following a federal criminal indictment accusing them of executing a complex criminal scheme to violate sanctions imposed by the United States against the Nicolás Maduro regime, smuggle restricted goods, and launder millions of dollars through international financial networks.
The arrests, which took place in Texas and Alabama, mark a significant blow to the business support networks operating from U.S. territory to sustain Venezuelan state-owned companies sanctioned for corruption, human rights violations, and illicit activities.
The Criminal Scheme: Prohibited Exports, Shell Companies, and Financial Triangulation
According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), Cairo-Padrón —a Venezuelan citizen and legal permanent resident of the U.S.— and Fortinberry, an American citizen, devised a sophisticated sanction evasion system. For years, they used shell companies such as DRI Reformers and Reformer Technologies to sell chemical catalysts, industrial equipment, and technical services to state-owned Venezuelan industries like COMSIGUA (Complejo Siderúrgico de Guayana S.A.), which are directly controlled by the Maduro regime.
COMSIGUA is a state entity sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department, making any business transaction with it a serious violation of U.S. legislation.
The indictment reveals that the accused concealed the true destination of the goods using false documentation, international intermediaries, and bank accounts in China, Spain, Germany, and the United States to cover up the illegal operations. In some instances, industrial equipment was shipped directly from China to Venezuela; in others, from the U.S., directly defying the existing legal framework of export controls and economic sanctions.
Millions of Dollars to Support a Sanctioned Regime
From at least 2022 to the present, the scheme has supposedly generated transactions worth millions of dollars. The profits were funneled through a network of bank accounts that included financial institutions in Europe and Asia, designed to obscure the true nature of the business and launder funds linked to the illicit transactions.
Federal prosecutors detail that the primary aim of the plan was to “provide economic and material assistance to sanctioned entities” —which directly violates U.S. federal laws concerning national security, smuggling, and illicit financing.
Possible Sentences of Up to 20 Years in Prison
Both Cairo and Fortinberry face charges for:
Violating economic sanctions imposed by the U.S.
International smuggling of restricted goods
Money laundering through multiple jurisdictions
If found guilty, they could each face up to 20 years in prison for money laundering and sanctions violations, and up to 10 years for smuggling. The final sentence will be determined by a federal judge, who will take into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other relevant legal factors.
Joint Investigation by Federal Agencies
The investigation is being led by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE-HSI) and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), with participation from prosecutors Adam Barry, Yifei Zheng, S. Mark McIntyre, and John Marck.
This case highlights how foreign citizens, even those legally residing in the United States, can act as covert economic agents for sanctioned regimes, using complex financial and corporate mechanisms to bypass restrictions imposed by the international community.
The arrest of Cairo-Padrón underscores concerns about the Maduro regime’s economic penetration into the United States and the use of global networks to sustain its industrial and financial apparatus despite sanctions.
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A Venezuelan citizen and his American partner face federal charges for evading sanctions on Venezuela.
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Juan Carlos Cairo-Padrón arrested for violating sanctions against Venezuela.
A Venezuelan businessman used shell companies to evade U.S. sanctions.
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