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US Sanctions Maduro Stepsons, Businessmen

Reuters

   WASHINGTON - The U.S. is sanctioning two businessman and three stepsons
   of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro for allegedly forming part of a
   network that stole hundreds of millions in dollars from food import
   contracts at a time of widespread hunger in the crisis-wracked South
   American nation.
   The network targeted Thursday by the Treasury Department was allegedly
   run by Alex Saab, a Colombian businessman who has been in the radar of
   U.S. authorities for two years after amassing a large number of
   contracts with Maduro's socialist government.
   The U.S. Treasury Department alleges that Saab utilized a network of
   shell companies spanning the globe to hide huge profits from no-bid
   food and gold contracts.
   Some of the contracts were allegedly obtained by paying bribes to
   children of first lady Cilia Flores.

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