MIAMI (AP) — The United States has freed a close ally of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in exchange for the release of 10 Americans imprisoned in the South American country and the return of a fugitive defense contractor known as “Fat Leonard” who is at the center of a massive Pentagon bribery scandal, the Biden administration announced Wednesday.
The deal represents the Biden administration's boldest move yet to improve relations with the largest oil producer and extract concessions from the self-proclaimed socialist leader. The largest release of American prisoners in Venezuela's history comes weeks after the White House agreed to suspend some sanctions after Maduro pledged to work for free and fair conditions for the 2024 presidential election.
The release of Alex Saab, a Maduro associate long viewed by Washington as a criminal trophy, is a significant concession to the Venezuelan leader. U.S. officials said the decision to grant him clemency was difficult but essential to bringing imprisoned Americans home, a key administration goal that in recent years has led to the release of criminals once considered untradeable.
The 10 Americans released include six who were deemed wrongfully imprisoned by the U.S. government.
“These people have lost far too much valuable time with their loved ones and their families have suffered every day because of their absence. I am grateful that her ordeal is finally over,” President Joe Biden said in a statement.
The agreement also resulted in the return to U.S. custody of Leonard Glenn Francis, the Malaysian owner of a ship maintenance company who is the central figure in one of the biggest bribery scandals in Pentagon history.
But the exchange, a major U.S. concession, angered many hardliners in the Venezuelan opposition, who criticized the White House for standing by while Maduro repeatedly outmaneuvered Washington after the Trump administration's campaign to oust him failed.
In October, the White House eased sanctions on Venezuela's oil industry after Maduro promised to level the playing field for 2024 elections in which he aims to extend his decade-long, crisis-ridden rule by six years. A Nov. 30 deadline has passed and Maduro has so far failed to lift a ban that had prevented his main opponent, María Corina Machado, from running for office.
Biden told reporters earlier in the day that Maduro so far appears to have “maintained his comment about a free election.” Sharing the sentiments of many members of the U.S.-backed opposition, Republicans said releasing Saab would only encourage Maduro to continue on his authoritarian path.
“Disgraceful decision,” Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
U.S. sanctions remain suspended under the deal announced Wednesday. Maduro's government must also release 21 Venezuelans, including Roberto Abdul, who co-founded a pro-democracy group with Machado more than two decades ago, and revoke three arrest warrants.
Americans behind bars in Venezuela include two former Green Berets, Luke Denman and Airan Berry, who were involved in an attempt to overthrow Maduro in 2019. Also detained are Eyvin Hernandez, Jerrel Kenemore and Joseph Cristella, who were accused of entering Venezuela illegally from Colombia. Savoi Wright, a 38-year-old Californian businessman, was recently arrested in Venezuela.
The U.S. has conducted several swaps with Venezuela in recent years, including one in October 2022 for seven Americans, including five oil executives at Houston-based Citgo, in exchange for the release of two nephews of Maduro's wife who are in the U.S. on drug charges imprisoned charges are. Like that earlier exchange, Wednesday's swap took place on a runway in the Caribbean island nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Saab, who turns 52 on Thursday, hugged his wife and two young children as he descended the stairs of a private jet at Simon Bolivar International Airport. Venezuela's First Lady, Cilia Flores, was also present to welcome the event.
Saab was arrested in 2019 during a refueling stop in Cape Verde en route to Iran, where he was sent to negotiate oil deals on behalf of Maduro's government. The U.S. charges involved conspiracy to launder money in connection with a bribery scheme that allegedly siphoned $350 million through government contracts to build affordable housing. Saab was also sanctioned for allegedly operating a scheme that allegedly stole hundreds of millions of dollars from food import contracts at a time when the South American country was experiencing widespread hunger, largely due to shortages was.
After his arrest, Maduro's government said Saab was a special envoy on a humanitarian mission and was entitled to diplomatic immunity from prosecution under international law. On Wednesday, the company celebrated Saab's return as a victory for its global solidarity efforts and reiterated calls for the US to lift all sanctions against the oil-rich country.
“Alex Saab is a victim of retaliation by the U.S. government for his extraordinary efforts to protect the social rights of all Venezuelans in the face of unilateral coercive measures,” the government said in a statement.
Joseph Schuster, a lawyer for Saab, welcomed his client's reunion with his family. “We are also very happy for American citizens who will be able to return to their families for Christmas,” he said.
There was no mention of Saab's previous secret meetings with the US Drug Enforcement Agency. In a closed-door court hearing last year, Saab's lawyers said he had helped the agency for years expose corruption in Maduro's inner circle and had agreed to forfeit millions of dollars in illegal proceeds from corrupt government contracts.
However, the value of the information he shared with Americans is unknown. Some have suggested it may all have been a ploy authorized by Maduro to gather information about U.S. law enforcement activities in Venezuela. Be that as it may, Saab skipped the handover date in May 2019 and was indicted by federal prosecutors in Miami shortly afterwards.
Meanwhile, millions of Venezuelans who have chosen to remain in their country continue to live in poverty. The minimum wage is about $3.60 a month, just enough to buy a gallon of water. Low wages and high food prices have caused more than 7.4 million people to leave the country.
The deal is the latest concession by the Biden administration on behalf of repatriating Americans detained abroad, including a high-profile prisoner swap last December when the U.S. government – over the objections of some Republicans in Congress and criticism from some law enforcement officials – swapped the Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout against WNBA star Brittney Griner.
The exchange has raised concerns that the U.S. is incentivizing hostage-taking abroad and creating a false equivalence between Americans wrongfully imprisoned abroad and foreign nationals who have been properly prosecuted and convicted in U.S. courts. But Biden administration officials say securing the freedom of wrongfully detained Americans and hostages abroad will require difficult agreements.
Making this deal more palatable to the White House was Venezuela's willingness to return Francis.
Francis, nicknamed “Fat Leonard” because of his bulging 6-foot-3 frame, was arrested at a San Diego hotel nearly a decade ago as part of a federal undercover investigation. Investigators say he defrauded the U.S. military of more than $35 million by buying off dozens of high-ranking naval officers with alcohol, sex, lavish parties and other gifts.
Three weeks before his sentencing in September 2022, Francis pulled off an escape as breathtaking and audacious as the case itself, cutting off his ankle monitor and disappearing. He was arrested by Venezuelan police while attempting to board a flight from Caracas and has been in custody ever since.
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Tucker reported from Washington and Garcia Cano from Caracas, Venezuela. Associated writers Michael Balsamo and Jim Mustian in New York, Julie Watson in San Diego and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.