The deserters of the military force Juvenal Sequea Torres and Juven José Sequea, and the civilian Rayder Russian, pleaded guilty to having participated in a failed armed invasion that last year tried to overthrow President Nicolás Maduro, according to AP review.
In the hearing on Friday before a Colombian court, the men acknowledged their responsibility together with Jordan Goudreau, a former green beret from the United States and a veteran of the Iraq war, in the formation of a military cell of only a few dozen military deserters. Venezuelans trying to overthrow the socialist government of their country. His objectives included storming military installations and the presidential palace.
All three accepted minor charges such as providing advice and logistical support to illegal armed groups.
In the so-called Operation Gideon, six rebels were killed and two Americans - Goudreau's former colleagues in the Special Forces - are imprisoned in Caracas. The plot never had a chance of success against Maduro's loyal and heavily armed military forces, which had also managed to infiltrate the operation months earlier.
Juvenal Sequea and Captain Juven Sequea, both accused in Colombia, are the older brothers of Bolivarian National Guard Captain Antonio Sequea, who confessed to being the commander of the failed armed incursion of May 3, 2020 and is now imprisoned in Caracas.
The only crime they pleaded guilty to can get them between 6 and 10 years in jail. However, under Colombian law, they could be placed on probation or house arrest if they receive a sentence of less than eight years, which means that they could be released in exchange for cooperating with justice. Six months ago, when they were captured in Colombia, the three involved were accused of giving military training to illegal armed groups, a more serious crime that can lead to up to 30 years in prison.
Yacsy Álvarez, the fourth defendant in the Colombian investigation, has repeatedly pleaded not guilty and accused the Colombian authorities of having been in constant contact with Cliver Alcalá, the retired army general who led the operation. Álvarez is called to answer for the crime of arms trafficking, for allegedly helping to provide smuggled weapons for former dissident military personnel.
Álvarez was the translator for Goudreau, who did not speak Spanish, during his visits to Colombia. The two opened a subsidiary of Goudreau's security company, Silvercorp (headquartered in Florida), in mid-2019. The company registered their address at the location of a luxury hotel in Barranquilla, according to Colombian public records.
According to the plea agreement read by the prosecutors in court, the Colombian investigation began after the seizure, on March 23, 2020, of an arsenal of 26 assault rifles and tactical equipment that, later it became known, was sent by Álvarez and It was destined for the rebels on the La Guajira peninsula, which Colombia shares with Venezuela.
Hours before turning himself in on March 26 to face drug trafficking charges in the United States, Alcalá, who coordinated the clandestine operation, agreed to be responsible for the weapons.
Alcalá, who is now awaiting trial in New York, lashed out at opposition leader Juan Guaidó, whom he accused of betraying a contract he had signed with “American advisers” to overthrow Maduro.
The United States has denied any direct involvement in the failed armed incursion at the same time that the Venezuelan opposition has moved away from Goudreau, despite having previously signed an agreement to carry out an operation that sought to capture Maduro and seize power from him.
Except for a payment of $ 50.000 for expenses, Silvercorp never collected the agreement signed with Guaido's allies. During the raid, Goudreau also admitted going ahead with the invasion without Guaidó's support, though he did sue one of his aides, political analyst JJ Rendon, last year for breach of contract.
