FBI Takes Down Venezuelan Narcoterrorist Money Laundering Operation

The FBI said two men were indicted in Florida on Sept. 25 in an alleged money-laundering scheme linked to the children of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

The charges follow a years-long investigation launched by the FBI’s Miami Field Office in 2019.

Maduro isn’t just corrupt – he’s an indicted narcoterrorist dictator with a $50M DOJ bounty.

Under my leadership, the FBI is choking off every dollar, every account, every enabler.

America will never be a safe haven for his blood money. pic.twitter.com/Fxw9MpYo9b

— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) October 4, 2025

According to the bureau, agents opened the probe after indications that Arick Komarczyk had established U.S. bank accounts for Maduro’s children and U.S.-based associates.

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The FBI said bank filings known as Suspicious Activity Reports showed wire transfers to Komarczyk from individuals and businesses in Venezuela.

In a 2022 undercover operation, agents posed as intermediaries and were told that Komarczyk and associate Irazmar Carbajal would move $100,000 the FBI represented as sanctioned funds tied to members of Venezuela’s government.

The FBI said approximately $25,000 of those funds were moved into the United States.

The bureau said that when agents confronted Komarczyk about the activity, he was not alarmed and called it “sexy business.”

Federal authorities said the statement was recorded during the undercover phase of the operation.

A federal grand jury in Florida returned indictments on Sept. 25. Komarczyk was charged with money laundering and conspiracy to commit unlicensed money transmitting.

Carbajal was charged with conspiracy to commit unlicensed money transmitting.

The case materials cite the 2019–2022 investigative period, the undercover transaction, and the bank activity flagged through compliance reports.

The FBI said both men were linked to transactions intended to route funds into U.S. accounts for the benefit of people associated with Venezuela’s government.

FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau views financial channels connected to Maduro as a threat the United States will continue to target.

“Nicolás Maduro is not just another corrupt strongman, he is an indicted narcoterrorist dictator with a $50 million bounty on his head from the United States Department of Justice,” Patel said in an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital.

“His regime’s laundering schemes are nothing more than criminal lifelines for a failing dictatorship, and 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.”

The FBI’s description of the scheme details how domestic accounts were allegedly used to receive and move funds originating from Venezuela.

Investigators said Komarczyk’s role included opening accounts and receiving wires, while Carbajal coordinated transfers within the United States.

The 2022 undercover engagement documented agreement to move $100,000, according to the bureau, and established that a portion of those funds—about $25,000—entered U.S. channels.

The case is being handled by federal prosecutors in Florida.

The FBI said the indictments reflect an ongoing effort to enforce U.S. sanctions and compliance requirements designed to block proceeds tied to Venezuelan government corruption from entering the American financial system.

Officials said additional investigative steps remain under seal while agents pursue related leads that surfaced during the Miami-led probe.

We are tearing apart the international drug trade infecting our communities, piece by piece, tendril by tendril. https://t.co/0F5pOYB6Yh

— Dan Bongino (@FBIDDBongino) October 4, 2025

Maduro and several members of his inner circle have been the focus of U.S. criminal and sanctions actions for years.

The FBI said the alleged laundering activity described in the Florida indictments was intended to bypass those restrictions by placing funds into accounts managed in the United States for Maduro’s children and associates.

The bureau said financial institutions flagged relevant transactions through standard anti-money-laundering reporting, which contributed to the 2019 case opening and later undercover work.

The FBI said it would release further information through court filings as the prosecution proceeds.

Federal authorities emphasized that the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.