Former PdVSA worker receives 30 months in prison for role in sanctions evasion scheme

The U.S. Department of Justice recently announced that George Semerene Quintero, a Venezuelan national, was sentenced to 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release, for his role in a sanctions evasion scheme involving Petróleos de Venezuela SA (“PdVSA”), Venezuela’s state-owned oil company.  In August 2024, Semerene, a former PdVSA employee, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to export goods to PdVSA, for his efforts to evade U.S. sanctions and export control laws and procure aircraft parts for PdVSA’s aircraft fleet from U.S. suppliers.  The sanctions evasions scheme allegedly began shortly after the United States’ designation of PdVSA in January 2019.  Semerene is one of ten defendants charged for his participation in the scheme.  Federal prosecutors unsealed the indictment in April 2024, following Semerene’s arrest upon his arrival in the United States.  The other nine defendants remain fugitives from justice.

DOJ Press Release | Judgment | Unsealed Indictment