10 Americans swapped for ally of Venezuelan president in Biden administration deal

WASHINGTON – The Biden administration released a close ally of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from U.S. custody Wednesday in exchange for 10 Americans detained in Venezuela and the return of a notorious fugitive who had fled the U.S.

Six of the Americans freed from Venezuelan custody were considered wrongfully detained. The U.S. secured the extradition of Leonard Francis, a Malaysian defense contractor known as "Fat Leonard," who fled to Venezuela while facing sentencing for orchestrating one of the biggest bribery scandals in U.S. Navy history.

In exchange, Biden granted clemency to Alex Saab, long considered a bag man for Maduro who was arrested on a U.S. warrant for money laundering in 2020.

The swap, first reported by the Associated Press, follows months of negotiations between the U.S. and the Maduro government as part of the Biden administration's efforts to free Americans wrongfully detained overseas.

President Joe Biden, in a statement, said the 10 Americans released from Venezuela "have lost far too much precious time with their loved ones, and their families have suffered every day in their absence." He added. "I am grateful that their ordeal is finally over, and that these families are being made whole once more."

As part of the deal, Maduro has also agreed to release 20 jailed Venezuelans who the U.S. considered to be political prisoners, three other Venezuelans who faced arrest warrants and Roberto Abdul, a member of Maduro's opposition party who was arrested on treason charges.

Biden said the U.S. is ensuring that the Maduro regime "meets its commitments" and pointed to an "electoral roadmap" agreed to by opposition parties to ensure competitive 2024 presidential elections in Venezuela. "This is a positive and important step forward," Biden said.

The U.S. confirmed the release of Americans Eyvin Hernandez, Jerrel Kenemore and Joseph Cristella, who were accused of entering Venezuela illegally from Colombia, as well as Savoi Wright, a 38-year-old California businessman.

The U.S. did not disclose the names of the six other American detainees freed from prison, citing privacy considerations. Among other Americans imprisoned in Venezuela are two former Green Berets, Luke Denman and Airan Berry, who were involved in an attempt to oust Maduro in 2019.

Some of the participants in the coup attempt alleged they had high-level contacts in the Trump administration with knowledge of their plans, according to investigations by the Associated Press and the Miami Herald.

U.S. officials denied any role in the attack. The AP found no indication U.S. officials sponsored the men's actions nor that Trump authorized covert operations against Maduro, something that requires congressional notification.

At the time, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington would use all possible means to win the freedom of Denman and Berry.

Saab’s release is a major concession to Maduro, an authoritarian leader who is the target of a $15 million U.S. reward for anyone bringing him to New York to face drug trafficking charges.

Saab faced charges in the U.S. for conspiracy to commit money laundering tied to a bribery scheme that allegedly siphoned off $350 million through state contracts to build affordable housing for Venezuela’s government. Saab was arrested in Cape Verde in 2020 while traveling to Iran, where he was sent to negotiate oil deals on behalf of Maduro’s government.

In 2019, the U.S. Department of the Treasury accused Saab of helping to enrich Maduro and his regime by “orchestrating a vast corruption network” that “exploited no-bid contracts to loot hundreds of millions of dollars from starving Venezuelans.”

Before his death from cancer in 2013, Venezuela’s strongman Hugo Chávez handpicked Maduro, a former bus driver and union boss, as his vice president and successor. Maduro assumed the presidency after Chávez’s death and has held onto power ever since.

Francis was arrested in Venezuela in 2022 following a manhunt after he removed an ankle bracelet during house arrest in the U.S. while facing sentencing. Francis pleaded guilty to bribing Navy officials from 2004 to 2013 with tens of millions of dollars and gifts, including prostitutes and luxury travel, to steer contracts to his company and steering Navy ships to certain ports.

With his return to the U.S., Francis will "be held fully accountable for his time, as well as for his attempts to escape from justice," a U.S. official said.

The six wrongfully detained American detainees secured from Venezuela mark the latest prisoners brought home by the Biden administration.

In September, Iran released five imprisoned Americans in exchange for the release of nearly $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets and two Iranian prisoners who had been jailed in the U.S.

Last December, the Biden administration secured Russia's release of WNBA star Britney Griner in a one-for-one exchange for notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who had been held in a U.S. prison since 2012.

Contributing: The Associated Press; Lauren Villagran, USA TODAY

Reach Joey Garrison on X, formerly Twitter, @joeygarrison.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Alex Saab among those swapped for 10 Americans in Venezuela-Biden deal