Venezuelan pleads guilty to violating sanctions by funneling aircraft parts to Maduro regime

Venezuelan George Semerene Quintero pleaded guilty on Tuesday to conspiracy to evade U.S. economic sanctions.

The plea stemmed from Semerene's involvement "in a scheme to evade U.S. sanctions imposed on Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA), a Venezuelan state-owned oil company," according to a Department of Justice press release.

"Today's conviction demonstrates the Justice Department's commitment to hold accountable those who seek to evade export controls and sanctions to prop up rogue authoritarians," the DOJ said.

Semerene admitted to circumventing U.S. "sanctions and export controls to aid Nicolás Maduro's regime in Venezuela in obtaining critical aircraft parts from the United States."

The scheme involved "(1) lying to U.S. parts suppliers; (2) making false declarations on customs forms and shipping documents; (3) fabricating supplier invoices; and (4) providing false end-user certificates," according to the DOJ.

Semerene is scheduled for sentencing on November 5 and faces up to 20 years in prison.