A former Venezuelan national treasurer was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison by a U.S. court in South Florida for accepting bribes in excess of $1 billion and laundering the money through Florida real estate and personal luxury items.
Alejandro Andrade, 54, who was once a bodyguard for socialist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, enjoyed the trappings of spectacular illicit wealth in one of Florida’s most exclusive communities, while millions of fellow Venezuelans struggled to survive the country’s political instability and economic collapse brought about by Andrade and his compatriots.
