Alex Saab, Maduro Ally, Pleads Guilty in Miami to Money Laundering on September 15, Agrees to Forfeit 195 Million Dollars and Cooperate Against Former Venezuelan President

September 15, 2026

Sources: Bloomberg, AP via Local 10 Miami, ABC News, Click Orlando, Axios. Guilty plea and 195 million dollar forfeiture amount confirmed across all outlets. Judge Kathleen M. Williams name verified in Bloomberg article. January sentencing timeline from Bloomberg. Saab age 54 confirmed in Local 10 and ABC News. Deportation by acting President Delcy Rodriguez in May confirmed by Local 10. Maduro separate case in New York reported by Axios. Cape Verde extradition background and seven dismissed charges from 2021 Al Jazeera historical context.

Alex Saab, a close ally of ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, pleaded guilty on Tuesday September 15 in Miami federal court to a single count of money laundering conspiracy tied to an alleged bribery scheme to win lucrative government contracts in Venezuela. Appearing before US District Judge Kathleen M. Williams, Saab, 54, agreed to forfeit 195 million dollars in criminal proceeds from the corruption scheme and to cooperate in continuing federal investigations, paving the way for his eventual cooperation against his former protector. He faces up to 20 years in prison and will be sentenced in January. In an eight-page statement of facts submitted as part of the plea deal, Saab admitted to the bribery conspiracy, which prosecutors allege centered on contracts for the CLAP program set up by Maduro to provide food during Venezuela's economic crisis. Saab, a Colombian-born businessman long described by US officials as Maduro's frontman, was deported to the US in May by Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez after the US had been targeting him for more than a decade. Federal prosecutors allege that Saab previously oversaw funding for Maduro, and his plea deal could bolster US prosecutors' separate case against the former Venezuelan leader, who is awaiting trial in New York. The new indictment focused on contracts for the CLAP program under which Saab allegedly paid bribes to Venezuelan officials to secure lucrative import deals while siphoning off funds. US officials have long portrayed Saab as the keeper of state secrets and a key financial fixer who handled oil sales that violated US sanctions and other transactions on behalf of the Maduro government. Venezuela had mounted an all-out diplomatic offensive involving allies Russia and Cuba to defend Saab when he was initially detained in Cape Verde in 2020 during a refueling stop, arguing he was a diplomat on a special humanitarian mission to Iran, though this status was not recognized by US courts. After