The operation ultimately resulted in multiple mercenary casualties, the arrest and prosecution of others, and the imprisonment of two veterans of the U.S. Special Forces, thanks to the People's Power early warning system and Operation Black First made up of the FANB, the Bolivarian National Police, Bolivarian militiamen and the bases of the organized people.
Washington, January 12 (RHC)-- The U.S. mercenary and former Green Beret, Jordan Goudreau, who faces federal charges for arms trafficking, publicly accused the CIA and the FBI of undermining an attempted invasion of Venezuela in 2020 that sought to overthrow President Nicolás Maduro.
The accusations come as the Venezuelan head of state begins his third constitutional term after being sworn in at the National Assembly last Friday.
Jordan Goudreau, the Special Forces veteran behind the botched operation, made the claims in a social media post coinciding with new court filings that underpin the Trump administration's high-level backing of the clandestine operation.
The incursion that was prepared in Colombia with the full knowledge of the government of former President Iván Duque, included American mercenaries, Colombian paramilitaries and Venezuelan military deserters who tried to enter the country by sea to attack members of the Bolivarian Government and generate a situation of violence in the country.
"I want to congratulate the CIA and the FBI for a job well done. Due to your efforts in Venezuela in 2020 to sabotage the operation led by my executive branch, Nicolás Maduro is being sworn in today," Goudreau said in a short Instagram video, flashing a thumbs-up gesture. Both federal agencies declined to comment on the allegations, AP reported.
"In 2020, I was recruited by the executive branch to conduct a coup in Venezuela. The CIA and FBI sabotaged my operation, ensuring the deaths and capture of several of my men. They then used the mainstream media to spin the narrative against me and my team." — Jordan Goudreau (@JordanGGoudreau) January 10, 2025
Court documents filed in a federal court in Tampa reveal that Goudreau's legal team claims that their client had "authority from the highest levels of the Executive Branch" for the amphibious incursion.
The operation ultimately resulted in multiple mercenary casualties and the imprisonment of two veterans of the U.S. Special Forces, thanks to the People's Power's early warning system and Operation Black First, made up of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB), the Bolivarian National Police (PNB), Bolivarian militiamen and the rank and file of the organized people.
According to the file, Goudreau would have been recruited by Keith Schiller, former bodyguard of then President Donald Trump. Miami-based lawyer Marissel Descalzo stated that Goudreau was informed that "the operation was sanctioned and approved by the Executive Branch, particularly by Vice President Mike Pence."
Operation Gideon
Operation Gideon was a victory for the government of Nicolás Maduro, who has long accused the United States of covert actions against the revolutionary government.
Before the raid, an Associated Press investigation revealed Goudreau's attempts to secure funding from a variety of sources, including the Trump administration, Venezuelan opposition extremists, as well as wealthy Americans interested in Venezuela's oil industry.
Although U.S. officials have consistently denied involvement in the operation, Goudreau's Florida-based company, Silvercorp USA, signed an agreement with opposition leader Juan Guaidó to explore options to capture Maduro, who was then carrying a multimillion-dollar US dollar bounty, promoted directly by the White House.
The Biden administration has raised the bounty on President Nicolás Maduro to $25 million, while Goudreau claims to have met with two U.S. officials in Washington, including one who briefly worked in Pence's office. Former Vice President Pence has strenuously denied any knowledge of the plot, dismissing Goudreau's claims as a complete fabrication.
Goudreau's trial is scheduled for April, and prosecutors plan to present DNA evidence showing he handled approximately 60 weapons allegedly smuggled from Florida to Colombia as part of the plot against the Venezuelan government. Additional evidence includes: a $90,000 yacht used to transport ammunition, bulletproof plates and magazines for AR-15 rifles, which later sank in the Caribbean Sea.
