The Justice Department shared $300,921.09 in forfeited criminal assets with Bonaire, a special Dutch Caribbean municipality within the country of the Netherlands, in recognition of Bonaire’s assistance to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)’s investigation of, and the department’s forfeiture of criminal proceeds derived from, the operation of an unlicensed money transmitting business that was active in the black market for exchanging Venezuelan bolivars for U.S. dollars.
This transfer marks the first international sharing of forfeited assets involving the United States and Bonaire. Bonaire’s Public Prosecutors Office intends to use the funds to support ongoing criminal justice efforts.
The funds transferred are a share of net assets forfeited by U.S. authorities from an investigation into the operation of an unlicensed money transmitting business run by Hjalmar Gibelli Gomez.
A U.S. law enforcement investigation revealed that Gibelli was engaging in unlicensed money transmitting through his business, a Venezuelan insurance agency called Resguardo Sociedad de Corretahe.
The unlicensed money transmitting business exchanged Venezuelan bolivars for U.S. dollars on a black market currency exchange in violation of U.S. law. The funds were used to promote Gibelli’s illegal money transmitting business and were utilized in money laundering transactions.
As part of his illegal scheme, Gibelli transferred $2,486,525 from the scheme to purchase a luxury yacht named the “Navigante,” among other transactions.
On December 22, 2017, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri filed a civil forfeiture complaint against the yacht and other assets held by Gibelli.
As described in court documents, the yacht is subject to forfeiture as property involved in a transaction or attempted transaction in violation of U.S. money laundering statutes, or as property traceable to such property.
Bonaire authorities provided important law enforcement assistance in the seizure and forfeiture by restraining the Navigante in their territory, safely offloading the yacht’s crew, and assisting in the yacht’s transfer to the United States. Gibelli consented to the forfeiture of the Navigante and other property.
