{
  "id": 5916989,
  "title": "Venezuelan billionaire investigated by US now lands Pentagon oil deal",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/06/venezuelan-billionaire-investigated-by-us-now-lands-pentagon-oil-deal",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-06T05:45:08.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/business/corporate/2026/09/1526841/venezuelan-billionaire-investigated-us-now-lands-pentagon-oil"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "According to US prosecutors, Alejandro Betancourt was under investigation for alleged money laundering involving funds embezzled from Venezuela's state-owned oil company PDVSA. However, Betancourt reportedly assisted US authorities ahead of the capture of Maduro, transferring investigative information that helped enforce a US naval blockade against sanctioned oil tankers operating in Venezuela. This resulted in the seizure or interdiction of more than a dozen vessels. Betancourt also facilitated negotiations with Venezuelan officials, including Delcy Rodriguez, after Maduro's removal. The Pentagon's Office of Strategic Capital took a 35% stake in Betancourt's company, North American Blue Energy Partners (NABEP), and the State Department secured the right to buy 20% of NABEP's oil at cost, with preferential access to the remaining 80% of output. This marks a significant change in fortune for Betancourt, who was once a target of US investigations. Betancourt has been investigated in the US, Spain, and Switzerland but has never been indicted.",
  "summary": "MIAMI: The billionaire who helped broker the Trump administration's sweeping long-term oil deal with Venezuela was until recently a target of US money-laundering investigations involving funds embezzled from the state-owned oil company PDVSA.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Hindustan Times - World News",
        "title": "The Venezuelan billionaire the US investigated for money laundering now has a Pentagon oil deal",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/05/the-venezuelan-billionaire-the-us-investigated-for-money-laundering-5853369",
        "published": "2026-09-05T22:02:31.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "The Venezuelan billionaire the US investigated for money laundering now has a Pentagon oil deal",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/05/the-venezuelan-billionaire-the-us-investigated-for-money-laundering-5857464",
        "published": "2026-09-05T22:29:12.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Nation Africa",
        "title": "Venezuelan billionaire the US probed for money laundering now has a Pentagon oil deal",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/06/venezuelan-billionaire-the-us-probed-for-money-laundering-now-has-a",
        "published": "2026-09-06T03:35:52.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}