U.S. federal authorities arrested a former Green Beret who allegedly tried to coup Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in New York on arms smuggling charges, The Associated Press (AP) reported Wednesday.
Jordan Goudreau, the 48-year-old former green beret, allegedly attempted to lead a cross border raid by Venezuelan army deserters that would remove Maduro from power in 2020, the AP reported.
He reportedly claimed he led the operation in a 2020 interview with a reporter exiled from Venezuela. An AP investigation alleged that the former green beret was in league with a retired general from the country to train Venezuelan deserters in Columbia. They were reportedly intending to strike at and seize Maduro, the investigation claimed. (RELATED: Venezuela Cuts Ties With Multiple Countries Over Election Objections)
In January, the ex-Green Beret Jordan Goudreau traveled to Colombia to train rebels planning a failed raid of Venezuela. To get there, he took a chartered flight on a plane owned by a businessman who had been one of Hugo Chavez’s staunchest allies. https://t.co/8Jsi1Saxv2
— The Associated Press (@AP) May 28, 2020
Federal prosecutors based in Tampa, Florida accused Goudreau and Yacsy Alvarez, his Venezuelan partner, of violating federal arms control laws when they allegedly collected and transported military supplies to enact the plot, according to an indictment, the AP reported. Prosecutors alleged that there were text messages between the accused discussing purchasing and exporting the military equipment for their plot, according to the outlet.
Goudreau’s alleged scheme ended with Venezuela’s security forces defeating the group, the AP reported. Venezuelan intelligence had heavily infiltrated the group, the outlet noted. Two former Green Berets, associates of Goudreau, were reportedly sent to prison and then released in a prisoner swap in 2023 for a Maduro ally, the outlet reported.
Cliver Alcalá, a retired Venezuelan army general and another associate of Goudreau, was sentenced earlier in 2024 to over two decades in prison by a U.S. court for procuring weapons for rebels with links to drug cartels, the outlet reported. Goudreau attended the trial of Alcalá but refused to comment to the AP about the failed coup. Gustavo J. Garcia-Montes, Goudreau’s attorney, told the AP his client was innocent.
Christopher A. Kerr, Alvarez’s attorney, told the outlet that his client is “seeking asylum in the United States and has been living here peacefully with other family members, several of whom are U.S. citizens.”
Alvarez “will plead not guilty to these charges this afternoon, and as of right now, under our system, they are nothing more than allegations,” Kerr reportedly added.
The Department of Justice has not yet responded to the Daily Caller’s request for comment.
