U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe | U.S. Department of Justice
On January 8, U.S. District Judge Melissa Damian finalized a judgment to forfeit over $20 million in proceeds from foreign bribery and money laundering schemes to the United States. The Justice Department initially filed a civil forfeiture complaint on August 9, 2023, targeting approximately $21,248,434.25 in U.S. currency. These funds were alleged to be derived from offenses related to foreign bribery and money laundering.
The complaint detailed that between 2008 and 2014, Venezuelan national Naman Wakil controlled companies that sold food products to Venezuela's state-owned agency Corporacion de Abastecimiento y Servicios Agricola (CASA). Wakil reportedly paid millions in bribes to CASA presidents to secure lucrative food contracts. This scheme allegedly resulted in hundreds of millions being funneled into accounts he managed in the Cayman Islands and Switzerland before laundering the proceeds into South Florida and other locations.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida stated, "This forfeiture is a reminder that the United States is prepared to uphold the integrity of the U.S. financial system against those who elect to launder ill-gotten gains by depositing and transferring those funds through U.S. financial accounts and acquiring assets in an attempt to cover their tracks."
José R. Figueroa, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami added, "This significant forfeiture underscores the HSI Miami El Dorado Task Force’s commitment to safeguarding the U.S. financial system from illicit activities."
Acting Special Agent Stefanie Hipkins of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Miami Field Office remarked on their commitment: "This announcement underscores our commitment to holding accountable those who engage in foreign bribery and money laundering... We will continue to use every tool at our disposal to combat financial crimes that undermine the rule of law and global stability."
The case was investigated by HSI Miami Field Office and IRS-CI Miami Field Office with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marx P. Calderón, Michael Berger, and Joshua Paster prosecuting.
Court documents can be accessed via www.flsd.uscourts.gov or http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 23-cv-22987.
