WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Juan Carlos Ortega Murillo, son of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega; Jose Jorge Mojica Mejia; and two companies they use in an effort to distribute regime propaganda and launder money.
“President Ortega and his corrupt inner circle prioritize their own power and wealth over the needs of the Nicaraguan people,” said Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin. “The United States will continue to target those who prop up the Ortega regime and siphon money from the Nicaraguan economy.”
Juan Carlos Ortega Murillo, Jose Jorge Mojica Mejia, and the two companies (Difuso Comunicaciones S.A. and Mundo Digital S.A.) were designated pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13851, “Blocking Property of Certain Persons Contributing to the Situation in Nicaragua.”
JUAN CARLOS ORTEGA MURILLO
Juan Carlos Ortega Murillo (Juan Ortega), son of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, manages Difuso Comunicaciones S.A., a public relations and advertising company, which produces the majority of radio and television ad campaigns for the Government of Nicaragua (GoN), various government institutions, and the Sandinista National Liberation Front. Juan Ortega was designated for being responsible for or complicit in, or for having directly or indirectly engaged or attempted to engage in, a transaction or series of transactions involving deceptive practices or corruption by, on behalf of, or otherwise related to the GoN or a current or former official of the GoN, such as the misappropriation of public assets or expropriation of private assets for personal gain or political purposes, corruption related to government contracts, or bribery.
DIFUSO COMUNICACIONES S.A.
Difuso Comunicaciones S.A. was designated for being owned or controlled by, or for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Juan Ortega, a person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to E.O. 13851. Difuso Comunicaciones S.A., a public relations and advertising company, is used by Juan Ortega and the Ortega regime to spread regime propaganda.
JOSE JORGE MOJICA MEJIA
Jose Jorge Mojica Mejia (Mojica) is one of the most trusted front men of the Ortega family. He acts as a personal representative of the Ortegas, creates shell companies to launder money, and conceals their ownership and illicit profits. In late 2019 Mojica allegedly created a money laundering scheme to siphon money from businesses he runs on behalf of the President’s son, Rafael Antonio Ortega Murillo, who was designated in December 2019. Mojica’s scheme involved using cash from corporate checks made payable to Nicaragua’s Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MTI). Checks were cashed and money was stored at the MTI complex for the regime’s personal use. Mojica has also worked on behalf of Distribuidor Nicaraguense de Petroleo S.A. (DNP), a chain of gas stations controlled by the Ortega family that is one of the family’s principal assets. DNP was designated by OFAC in December 2019. Mojica was designated for being responsible for or complicit in, or for having directly or indirectly engaged or attempted to engage in, a transaction or series of transactions involving deceptive practices or corruption by, on behalf of, or otherwise related to the GoN or a current or former official of the GoN, such as the misappropriation of public assets or expropriation of private assets for personal gain or political purposes, corruption related to government contracts, or bribery.
MUNDO DIGITAL S.A.
Mundo Digital S.A. was designated for being owned or controlled by, or for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Mojica, a person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to E.O. 13851. Mundo Digital S.A. is used by Mojica as part of an effort to launder money for the Ortega regime.
SANCTIONS IMPLICATIONS
As a result of today’s action, all property and interests in property of these individuals or entities that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC. In addition, any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, 50 percent or more by such persons are also blocked. OFAC’s regulations generally prohibit all dealings by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of blocked or designated persons.
Identifying information on the individuals and entities designated today.
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