Venezuelan businessman Alvaro Pulido appears in Miami federal court on bribery charges

Alvaro Pulido, a Colombian‑born Venezuelan businessman, appeared before a federal judge in Miami on Thursday, marking his first court appearance in the United States after being taken into custody.

Pulido was originally indicted in Miami federal court in 2019 and again in 2021 on charges of bribing senior officials of the Maduro regime in exchange for lucrative state contracts. The indictments were part of a broader investigation that also implicated his longtime business associate, Alex Saab, a former ally of the ousted president.

U.S. agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations coordinated the operation that led to Pulido’s arrest. Nicole Navas Oxman, a spokesperson for the Homeland Security Task Force, said the agencies had been offering a reward of up to $10 million for information that would result in his capture.

Oxman did not disclose how Pulido was transferred to U.S. custody, noting only that he would face the initial appearance in federal court on Tuesday. The lack of detail has spurred speculation about whether he was already in the United States or was brought across borders under the direction of law‑enforcement officials.

The case highlights the United States’ sustained focus on Venezuelan corruption networks. Prosecutors allege that Pulido and Saab established a series of offshore shell companies to funnel bribe money to top Maduro allies, securing contracts to import food, medicine and low‑cost housing during a period of severe economic hardship in Venezuela.

Saab, who was deported to the United States in May, recently pleaded guilty in a related bribery case and agreed to cooperate with authorities, forfeiting $195 million in criminal proceeds. His cooperation is expected to provide further insight into the broader scheme that linked Pulido to illicit payments.

Venezuelan officials have remained silent on Pulido’s arrest, a silence that reflects the political challenges facing acting President Delcy Rodríguez as she balances pressures from coalition partners resistant to U.S. pressure on corruption prosecutions.

The Miami appearance is the next procedural step in what could become a lengthy trial. Pulido is expected to remain in federal detention while the case proceeds, and a schedule for subsequent hearings has not yet been announced.