The former head of procurement at a subsidiary of Venezuela’s state-owned energy company, who was accused of money laundering by purchasing South Florida real estate, pleaded guilty.
The charge was one count of conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States.
Lennys Rangel, a former procurement officer at Petrocedeno SA, a PdVSA joint venture with two European oil companies, allegedly conspired to launder millions of dollars in bribe payments through the U.S, according to a complaint filed in Miami federal court.
Rangel allegedly agreed to receive more than $5 million in bribes. The complaint alleges she received instructions from senior officials of PDVSA to award procurement contracts to specific contractors.
Rangel allegedly used the money to purchase real estate in South Florida and in Venezuela, including unit 2015 at the luxury high-rise Brickell Flatiron. The 64-story, 527-unit tower, completed last year, was developed by Ugo Colombo’s CMC Group.
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The maximum penalty for her charge is five years in prison, according to the complaint, which was made public in March.
At least 27 people have been charged in connection to the U.S. probe into alleged corruption at Petróleos de Venezuela SA, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Write to Katherine Kallergis at kk@therealdeal.com