Former Citgo exec pleads guilty in $7 million international bribery, money laundering scheme
Alison Medley, 23 March 2021
A federal investigation has revealed an elaborate scheme involving millions in international bribes and Houston-based oil company, Citgo, according to a U.S. Justice Department report.
At the heart of a federal investigation was Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. PDVSA, which owns the Houston-based subsidiary Citgo.
A former Citgo procurement officer and manager pleaded guilty Monday in connection to the $7 million scheme involving money laundering and international bribery. Dual American and Venezuelan citizen Jorge Luis De Jongh Atencio (De Jongh), 48, entered a guilty plea for one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and bribes, the U.S. Justice Department stated.
De Jongh was accused of accepting over $7 million in bribe payments in exchange for helping businessmen and specific companies secure contracts with Citgo. De Jongh then admitted to directing bribes from two other associates, Jose Manual Gonzales Testino and Tulio Anibal Farias Perez, federal investigators explained. He would then send the bribe payments to bank accounts in the names of shell companies he oversaw in Panama and Switzerland. De Jongh reportedly created fake invoices to support the payments, according to federal investigators.
