US charges Venezuelan TV news network owner in alleged $1.2 billion money laundering scheme

An American flag waves outside the U.S. Department of Justice Building in Washington, U.S., December 15, 2020. REUTERS/Al Drago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department said on Wednesday that a Venezuelan television news network owner was charged in an alleged $1.2 billion money laundering scheme.

Raul Gorrin Belisario, 56, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Florida for his role in a scheme "to launder funds corruptly obtained from Venezuela’s state-owned and state-controlled energy company, Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA), in exchange for hundreds of millions in bribe payments to Venezuelan officials," the Justice Department said.