Jordan Goudreau, the former U.S. Green Beret who coordinated a failed coup attempt to oust Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro in 2020, was arrested Tuesday night in a weapons-smuggling case filed in Tampa federal court.
Goudreau, who is being held in a Brooklyn, New York, detention center after his arrest, awaits transfer to Florida to face an indictment charging him and a Venezuelan partner, Yacsy Alexandra Alvarez, with violating U.S. arms control laws. They’re accused of assembling and sending dozens of AR-styled weapons, laser sights, night vision devices and other equipment from the United States to Colombia without a required a U.S. export license.
Goudreau, 48, of Melbourne, and Alvarez, 43, who was living in Colombia but now resides in Tampa, are charged with conspiracy to violate the Arms Export Control Act and smuggling goods from the United States. Goudreau is also charged with “unlawful possession of machine guns,” among other items.
A 14-count indictment charging the pair was unsealed Wednesday, three days after Venezuela held a presidential election that Maduro claims to have won but his opponents assert was riddled with fraud.
Gustavo J. Garcia-Montes, an attorney for Goudreau, confirmed his client was arrested in New York but declined further comment.
Alvarez is in federal custody, according to the Justice Department. An attorney for Alvarez did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
As part of the conspiracy, Goudreau, Alvarez and their co-conspirators procured firearms and military-related equipment through Goudreau’s Melbourne-based company, Silvercorp, and exported them to Colombia. Some of the items were seized by the Colombia National Police.
The unlicensed exports supported an attempt organized by Goudreau in May 2020 to remove Maduro from office, which failed. The Miami Herald detailed the botched coup attempt in a story on Goudreau’s Operation Gideon.
If convicted, Goudreau and Alvarez face the following maximum penalties: five years in prison for conspiracy, 10 years in prison for smuggling, 20 years in prison for violations of export control laws, and 10 years in prison for each violation of the National Firearms Act and unlawful possession of a machine gun.
The indictment also says federal authorities plan to forfeit firearms and other military equipment traceable to proceeds of the defendants’ alleged activity.
The FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security are investigating the case, with assistance by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
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