U.S. officials announced Wednesday the arrest of a U.S. military veteran who has claimed responsibility for an armed raid in 2020 that failed to remove Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Jordan Goudreau, a three-time recipient of the Bronze Star for bravery in Iraq and Afghanistan, was arrested Tuesday in New York on charges he violated U.S. gun control laws alongside a Venezuelan partner, Yacsy Alvarez, 43, according to a Justice Department statement.
The 48-year-old allegedly assembled AR-style rifles and sent them, along with ammo and military equipment, to Colombia beginning in November 2019. The equipment requires a U.S. license for export.
Goudreau was charged with conspiracy, among multiple other counts. His attorney has said that Goudreau is innocent.
Alvarez’s attorney has said she is a U.S. asylum-seeker and has been “living here peacefully with other family members, several of whom are U.S. citizens,” and that she will be pleading not guilty.
If they are convicted, Goudreau and Alvarez could face between five and 20 years in prison for each of the various charges.
Goudreau took responsibility for the attempted raid in 2020, staged by soldiers who trained in clandestine camps in Colombia. Goudreau reportedly attempted to raise funds for the raid months before it took place.
The coup plot, referred to as Bay of Piglets, was shut down by security authorities in Venezuela. Two of Goudreau’s former colleagues were held in Venezuelan prison until a prisoner swap in 2023.
Goudreau’s 22-page indictment cited text messages between Goudreau and Alvarez detailing efforts to organize and acquire equipment for the coup. According to the document, Alvarez texted Goudreau to ask whether she would be “taking things” with her on a flight from the U.S. to Colombia.
An additional message between Goudreau and his distributor read, “We def need our guns,” according to the indictment.
Cliver Alcala, a participant in planning the coup, earlier this year was sentenced in federal court in Manhattan to two decades in prison for distributing weapons to the group.
Some information for this story came from The Associated Press.
