A federal narcotics agent leaked sensitive case information about one of Washington's top criminal targets in Venezuela as part of a scheme to sell government secrets to defense lawyers seeking to attract deep-pocketed clients, a jury was told this week.
Pedestrians walk near a poster asking for the freedom of Colombian businessman and Venezuelan special envoy Alex Saab, in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021. The U.S. Justice Department is prosecuting Saab for alleged money laundering.
Saab has become a cause célèbre among allies of President Nicolas Maduro. The socialist leader claims the Colombian-born businessman is a Venezuelan diplomat targeted for his efforts to bypass American sanctions imposed by the Trump administration. Saab was arrested during a jet fuel stop in 2020 while en route to Iran, where he was sent by Maduro to negotiate oil deals.
Recio, days after retiring as a DEA supervisor, went to work as an investigator for Miami defense lawyers Luis Guerra and David Macey. Costanzo and Recio vehemently deny wrongdoing and have said the charges are rooted in “leaps, guesswork and speculation.” They have attacked this week the credibility of key witness Jorge Hernández, a longtime drug snitch who wore a wire for the FBI in this case even after the DEA blacklisted him for extorting other informants. Hernández has pleaded guilty to money laundering and told jurors he hopes his testimony will earn him a sentence of time served.
“I don’t know if you want to make your move now or wait,” Costanzo told Recio, referring to Saab, in one wiretapped conversation played in court Tuesday. “If you get a meeting, let me know and I’ll tell you what to say.”