Media Mogul Key Witness In Venezuelan Corruption Case

Raul Gorrin

A Venezuelan TV mogul who has amassed a real estate fortune in South Florida and New York is now at the center of a $1.2 billion money-laundering investigation — put there by a Swiss banker who has admitted guilt and is helping Miami prosecutors build a criminal case against him, reports The Miami Herald.

Raúl Gorrín, owner of the Globovisión network in Caracas, is suspected of steering $600 million from the country’s state-owned oil company to a European bank to enrich himself, the three stepsons of President Nicolás Maduro and other members of Venezuela’s politically connected elite, according to new court records and multiple sources familiar with the federal probe in Miami.

Krull faces up to 10 years in prison, is in custody in Miami in the new money-laundering case.

Krull has promised to assist prosecutors in their broadening case investigating Gorrín, Maduro, his stepsons and other Venezuelans.

In his plea agreement, Krull has promised to cooperate with Assistant U.S. Attorney Francisco Maderal and Homeland Security Investigations, including testifying before a federal grand jury.

Gorrin, who bought TV news channel Globovisión in March 2013, is considered to be one of the wealthiest businessmen in Venezuela largely because of his close connections with key members of the Maduro regime, including the presidential family, and his predecessor, the late President Hugo Chávez.

The sale of Globovisión was a big blow to the opposition in Venezuela, shutting down the last TV channel that challenged government censorship. The station’s programming changed dramatically after the sale, as prominent journalists resigned when the new owners tried to impose a gag rule.