Biden secures deal with Venezuela to trade Maduro ally for US fugitive, detained Americans

The Biden administration has reached an agreement to release one of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s closest allies in exchange for the freedom of 10 Americans, the return of an American businessman charged in a large-scale bribery scheme and commitments to democratic progress in the country. 

The agreement will see the return of six Americans who were deemed wrongfully detained in Venezuela, four other Americans held in jail and the return of “Fat” Leonard Francis, who was being held in Venezuela after escaping house arrest in the U.S. ahead of a sentencing in a massive military corruption case. Leonard reportedly fled to South America on his way to Russia. 

In exchange, President Biden has granted clemency to and is releasing to Venezuela Alex Nain Saab Morán, who was on trial in the U.S. 

Saab was arrested in 2020 in the island nation of Cabo Verde on charges of money laundering and transferred to the U.S. in 2021. Saab was charged by the U.S. government with carrying out a multiyear currency trading scheme by bribing Venezuelan government officials and falsifying documents. 

President Biden welcomed the release of the Americans in a statement, but warned that U.S. citizens should not travel to Venezuela for fear of arbitrary arrest. 

“Reuniting wrongfully detained Americans with their loved ones has been a priority for my Administration since day one. As is the return to the United States of fugitives from justice,” Biden said in a statement.

The president further said he was continuing to work for the release of the more than 100 people being held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip; and the release of Americans determined wrongfully detained in Russia and other parts of the world. 

A senior administration official said in a Wednesday call with reporters that Biden had to make “the extremely difficult decision” to grant Saab clemency as part of the exchange. 

“The consequences of this difficult decision will be to reunite parents with their children and grandchildren, children with their parents, family and friends, and to ensure that one of the most notorious fugitives from justice, Fat Leonard, is returned, and held to account for his crimes.”

Leonard had pleaded guilty in 2015 to bribery and fraud charges in connection to a large-scale, decade-long conspiracy against the U.S. Navy, in which he lavished Navy officials with gifts, cash, prostitutes and luxury travel in exchange for secret information that benefited his port logistics company. 

Biden administration officials, speaking to reporters on a phone call while waiting for the finalization of the exchange to take place, said that the U.S. had also secured the release of 20 Venezuelan political prisoners and broader efforts toward a “restoration of democracy” in the country. 

Administration officials said that while engaging “directly with representatives of Nicolás Maduro” on the deal, they also were actively consulting with members of the Venezuelan opposition, the Unitary Platform, including its presidential candidate María Corina Machado, and with members of Congress.

“It is something that demonstrates the results of dialogue, and it opened the doors for us to continue to engage in dialogue, so that when Venezuela holds elections next year, that they’re competitive and inclusive, and that will allow Venezuelans to really determine the future of their country,” a senior administration official said.

“This has established, I think, a solid foundation for us to build upon and to continue the dialogue in the months ahead.”

The administration also said Qatar played a role in mediating the deal. The Qatari government has also facilitated talks on Israel-Hamas hostage-for-prisoner exchanges in recent weeks.

“Qatar has been an important partner for the United States across a whole host of streams as you’ve undoubtedly seen, but I would say with regard to the process in Venezuela, for months they facilitated conversations between Maduro authorities and U.S. officials aimed at clearing a path toward a competitive election in 2024 and the return of wrongfully detained Americans,” the official said.

“They have continued to offer their good offices, when called upon, and we’re quite grateful for those efforts.”

Maduro’s regime is one of the most challenging foreign policy issues for the U.S., with his authoritarian leadership viewed as illegitimate, a humanitarian crisis in the country contributing to mass migration crisis, and Caracas’s ties with Russia and Iran contributing to global insecurity.

In October, representatives of Maduro and members of the opposition came to an agreement that elections in 2024 would include some opposition candidates, after talks overseen by Norway and signed in Barbados, referred to as the “Barbados agreement.”  

A senior Biden administration official said Maduro’s release of 20 Venezuelan political prisoners is not part of the Barbados agreement but “brings us back in line with Barbados.”

The official said that Venezuela’s opposition is looking for the release of all political prisoners — there are an estimated 300, according to Amnesty International — and that competitive, inclusive elections “really are not possible if there is a fear of arbitrary detention.”

“These are going to be parts of the ongoing conversations between the Venezuelan parties, and our approach is going to be supportive of concrete outcomes in those talks.”

Updated at 2:54 p.m.