US says businessman Alvaro Pulido is in custody

Alvaro Pulido, who faces US charges over alleged corruption involving Venezuelan state contracts, is in American custody. Authorities announced his detention on Oct. 11.

Homeland Security Task Force spokesperson Nicole Navas Oxman said the detention followed an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI and Homeland Security Investigations. She did not disclose how Pulido came into US custody.

The businessman is scheduled to make his initial appearance in Miami federal court on Tuesday, Oct. 13. He was indicted in 2019 and 2021. US agencies had offered up to $10 million for information leading to his arrest.

Prosecutors allege that Pulido and longtime business partner Alex Saab used a network of offshore companies to pay officials bribes in exchange for contracts for food, medicine and affordable housing. These are allegations, rather than a judicial finding of Pulido's guilt.

Saab pleaded guilty in September in a related bribery case, agreeing to cooperate with investigators and forfeit $195 million in proceeds from the corruption scheme.