Tocorón Watch
Government files partially redacted indictment against Alex Saab on money laundering charge
COURT DOCUMENT Document details
- Case
- United States v. Alex Nain Saab Morán · S.D. Fla. No. 1:26-cr-20020
- Docket entry
- No. 16
- Filed
- Document
- Partially Redacted Indictment (as to Alex Saab Morán only)
- Original
- Court filing (PDF, English)
Summary written from the filing; the document itself is the record.
On May 18, 2026, a partially redacted copy of the grand jury indictment against Alex Nain Saab Morán was entered on the docket, filed as to him only. The indictment alleges a scheme beginning around October 2015 to launder proceeds from bribery and embezzlement tied to Venezuela's CLAP food program and illicit sales of PDVSA oil, moving funds through U.S. bank accounts. It charges one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments under 18 U.S.C. § 1956(h) and gives notice that the government will seek forfeiture of related property.
- Court
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida (Miami) · case 1:26-cr-20020
- Judge
- Kathleen M. Williams
- Prosecution
- U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Florida, with the Justice Department's Criminal Division
- Next date
- January 20, 2027 · Alex Saab sentencing
- Where it stands
- Alex Saab pleaded guilty on September 15, 2026 to conspiracy to launder money; he is in federal custody in Miami awaiting sentencing.
What it means
This is not a new charge; it is the public, redacted version of the indictment that already underlies the case, with names and details concerning other possible defendants blacked out. The government alleges Saab used shell companies, false invoices and bribes to divert CLAP program funds and profit from PDVSA oil sales. Saab has not been found guilty of these underlying allegations as of this filing; he later pleaded guilty in September 2026 as noted in the case record.
What happens next
The case remains before Judge Kathleen M. Williams; Saab's sentencing, following his September 2026 guilty plea, is scheduled for January 20, 2027.
In the document's own words
“planned and executed an elaborate scheme to enrich themselves and their associates, including individuals in the Miami area, by corrupting a Venezuelan public welfare program known as Comité Local de Abastecimiento y Producción (CLAP)”
“the conspirators used their direct access and corrupt influence with Venezuelan government officials to access and sell billions of dollars of oil owned by Venezuelan state-owned Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA) under false pretenses”
“the specified unlawful activity is: (i) wire fraud... and (ii) an offense against a foreign nation, specifically Venezuela, involving bribery of a public official, and the misappropriation, theft, and embezzlement of public funds”
How the court describes it (original, English)
Our plain-language summary of a public court record, written with AI help and checked against the document. It is not a finding of guilt or legal advice. See a mistake? Tell us
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