Two individuals were arrested on Friday over alleged charges of engaging in money laundering and smuggling goods from the United States to Venezuela, violating existing U.S. sanctions, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a June 16 statement.
The defendants are Juan Carlos Cairo-Padron, 56, a Venezuelan national with permanent U.S. residency, and Thomas Michael Fortinberry, 51, a U.S. citizen from Alabama. They are accused of selling chemical catalysts, industrial equipment, and related services to steel mills and petrochemical companies owned by the Venezuelan government and subject to U.S. sanctions.
