FBI Cracks Down on Maduro-Linked Money Laundering Ring Tied to U.S. Sanctions Evasion
In a bold strike against international corruption, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has indicted two men accused of orchestrating a money-laundering scheme linked to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s inner circle, with the reach of this illicit operation spanning across multiple countries including the United States, Venezuela, Uruguay, and the Dominican Republic.
The latest announcement comes as part of a multi-year investigation orchestrated by the FBI’s Miami Field Office beginning in 2019, with the indictment coming as part of an ongoing commitment by the U.S. government to dismantle a variety of financial networks propping up Maduro’s heavily-sanctioned regime. The heart of the case revolves around Arick Komarczyk and Irazmar Carbajal, U.S. and Uruguayan nationals, respectively, who allegedly funneled illicit funds through American bank accounts on behalf of Maduro’s children and their associates. According to court documents, Komarczyk opened accounts that received suspicious wire transfers from Venezuelan entities, actively working around U.S. Treasury sanctions designed to isolate the regime. A 2022 undercover sting captured the duo agreeing to launder upwards of $100,000 – believed to be sanctioned proceeds from Maduro’s government – with $25,000 successfully infiltrating the U.S. financial system.2 When confronted with the charges, the men shrugged off the severity of their transgressions, when in reality, these transactions along with the countless other committed through the President’s sprawling network of nefarious actors serve as “criminal lifelines” for the Maduro dictatorship.2
As part of the indictment’s announcement, FBI Director Kash Patel also vowed unrelenting pursuit to limit the regional and international impact of Maduro’s corruption moving forward. “Nicolás Maduro is not just another corrupt strongman,” Patel declared. “Under my leadership, this FBI will continue to choke off every dollar, every account, and every enabler. America will never be a safe haven for Maduro’s blood money.”2 The indictments, unsealed on September 25 in Florida, charge Komarczyk with money laundering and conspiracy to commit unlicensed money transmitting, while Carbajal faces the latter count. Carbajal was arrested during a deportation layover in the U.S. on October 2, while Komarczyk remains at large in Venezuela. All told, this bust aligns with a multifaceted U.S. sanctions strategy against Venezuela, which has evolved since 2005 to target corruption, repression, and democratic backsliding under Maduro’s rule.
The History of Maduro-Era Sanctions
For the better part of the last two decades, major world powers have imposed heavy sanctions on Venezuela in response to the gradual erosion of its democracy, human rights violations, its continued oil trade with Cuba, China and other and sanctioned countries, as well as the growth in political corruption under the leadership of Maduro, for whom the U.S. government is offering a $50 million reward for information leading to his arrest and/or conviction. In 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) unsealed indictments charging Maduro, as well as 14 other current or former Venezuelan officials, with crimes that included narco-terrorism, drug trafficking, corruption, money laundering, and related offenses. The U.S. government has found that over a period of approximately 20 years, Maduro and his colleagues conspired with the FARC (the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) – a foreign terrorist organization with a major destabilizing presence in South America – to use cocaine as a “weapon” by flooding U.S. markets, and to corrupt Venezuelan institutions to protect and facilitate drug operations.1 The 2020 measures added to a growing number of targeted sanctions on Venezuelan individuals and entities that have engaged in criminal, anti-democratic, and corrupt actions via both executive and congressional action since 2005. These U.S. sanctions have grown to include financial and sectoral sanctions, as well as sanctions on the Maduro government itself since his coming to power in 2013.
As detailed in a June 2025 Congressional Research Service (CRS) report, current sanctions encompass individual asset freezes, financial sector bans, and sectoral restrictions on oil and debt. Executive Orders from the respective Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations – bolstered by laws like the 2014 Venezuela Defense of Human Rights and Civil Society Act – have seen the designations of over 151 Venezuelans, including Maduro, his wife Cilia Flores, and son Nicolás Maduro Guerra, as Specially Designated Nationals (SDNs). These efforts block U.S. assets and prohibit transactions, aiming to curb funding for further abuses of power. However, these designations have also brought about major sanctions-evasion efforts on behalf of the aforementioned parties, such as those leading to the latest indictment, and as such have increased resources committed by the U.S. government to snuff out these illicit activities.
The return of the Trump administration in 2024 has once again intensified measures taken against the embattled South American country. In January 2025, after Maduro’s disputed third-term inauguration following a highly-controversial Presidential election that was boycotted by most of the opposition, the U.S. revoked licenses allowing Chevron and others to operate in Venezuela’s oil sector – the life-blood of the country’s economy. A 25% tariff now hits nations importing Venezuelan crude oil, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemning the regime’s electoral theft – where precinct data showed Independent candidate Edmundo González won 67% of the vote – as a betrayal of the 2023 Barbados Agreement for fair polls.
Broader sanctions now target Maduro’s enablers: The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has hit 11 individuals and 25 firms for drug ties, while Executive Order 13884 freezes Maduro government assets outright. Terrorism designations, including February 2025’s labeling of the Tren de Aragua gang as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, enable deportations under the Alien Enemies Act. Visa revocations have since exceeded 2,000, and arms export bans persist due to Venezuela’s non-cooperation on anti-terrorism.
Yet in spite of these positive developments, many challenges remain for restoring democracy to Venezuela. Limits remain for provision of humanitarian aid to struggling citizens, and legal hurdles have hindered tariff enforcement thus far. As Congress pushes bills to bar U.S. energy investments until González’s victory is recognized, additional efforts are currently in the works to enact crypto and debt-related sanctions to further the grip on the Venezuelan economy while Maduro’s presence remains. All told, the latest FBI operation signals no letup on the U.S. offensive against foreign corruption. The U.S. views Maduro as an illegitimate leader whose “blood money” networks threaten national security. With allies like Rubio and other American politicians echoing solidarity for Venezuelans in wake of the political oppression that remains, the message is clear: Sanctions evasion invites exposure, and accountability for these transgressions looms large.
Citations
- “Nicolás Maduro Moros and 14 Current and Former Venezuelan Officials Charged with Narco-Terrorism, Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Criminal Charges.” Office of Public Affairs , United States Department of Justice, 6 Feb. 2025.
- Wolf, Rachel. “FBI Busts Alleged Maduro-Linked Money Laundering Network Spanning Multiple Nations.” Fox News, FOX News Network, 4 Oct. 2025.