Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued a statement Thursday announcing sanctions against the Moron brothers for their role in aiding the totalitarian and socialist Maduro regime in Venezuela.
“The United States is sanctioning brothers Santiago Jose Moron Hernandez and Ricardo Jose Moron Hernandez for their sustained support of corruption by the illegitimate Maduro regime. By enabling an illicit gold scheme and other blatant public corruption, these two men have turned a blind eye to the suffering of the people of Venezuela who are the victims of their corrupt enterprise,” Pompeo said in a statement released by the U.S. Department of State.
The United States is holding the Moron brothers accountable for their role in corruption. We will continue to do the same for any who seek to line the pockets of the corrupt Maduro regime and themselves, robbing the Venezuelan people of a future.
— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) July 23, 2020
“With this latest Treasury Department action, the U.S. reaffirms its commitment to promoting accountability for all those who facilitate corruption inside Venezuela. We will continue to hold accountable those who perpetuate the suffering in Venezuela in the interest of lining the pockets of Maduro, his cronies, and themselves,” the press release said. (RELATED: ‘A Dead Man’: A Journalist’s Escape From Socialist Venezuela, Part 2)
The sanctions freeze all assets of the two brothers and forbid them from doing business with Americans, according to Reuters. The Treasury Department commented Thursday that the Moron brothers are close to President Maduro and his son, aiding them both as their “trusted partners” in distributing Maduro’s assets throughout the globe, United Press International reported.
The sanctions are indicative of American efforts to force Maduro from power, with the U.S. leading a coalition of more than 50 nations to support Juan Guaido, head of the National Assembly, as the leader of Venezuela, according to United Press International.