U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced yesterday the seizure of “a mansion in the Dominican Republic” linked to the “regime of Nicolás Maduro,” but failed to provide addresses, exact dates, and documents that prove direct ownership by the Venezuelan president or his circle. Media outlets have identified the property as “Villa La Caracola” in Cap Cana (valued at $18 million), although prior records and raids (2019) only link it to businessman Samark López—sanctioned by the U.S. and imprisoned for corruption in Venezuela—not to Maduro or his wife, Cilia Flores.
Dominican authorities and the Justice Department never publicly confirmed legal ties, while experts point to inconsistencies in a media narrative that has persisted since 2019.
1. Official Opacity and Media Designations
– Generic Statements: Bondi described the property as part of $700 million seized from the “Maduro regime,” yet provided no address, seizure dates, or judicial files. She also didn’t mention “Villa La Caracola”—the name assigned by outlets like Diario Libre and Vanguardia.
– Documented Ownership: Dominican records show that the mansion was under the name of Samark López Bello, sanctioned in 2022 for money laundering for ex-minister Tareck El Aissami. López was arrested in 2024 for corruption in Venezuela, and his close relations were with El Aissami, who is also jailed for the same offenses.
– Silence of Authorities: The U.S. Department of Justice declined to comment on the details of the seizure, while Dominican authorities never confirmed Maduro or Flores’ ownership during the 2019 raid.
2. Inconsistencies in the Media Narrative (2019-2025)
– Speculative Origins (2019): In May 2019, outlets like El Tiempo (Colombia) and El Comercio (Peru) claimed that Cilia Flores used “Villa La Caracola” following “Operation Libertad.” However, they did not provide migratory evidence, photos, or testimonies. Dominican authorities denied her presence, and the operation sought López for drug trafficking.
– Convenient Reactivation (2025): The media connection resurfaced in August 2025, coinciding with the $50 million reward offered by the U.S. for Maduro. Outlets repeated architectural descriptions (3,000 m², 9 rooms) but used unverified or low-quality photos.
– Pattern of Misinformation: In March 2025, TikTok accounts labeled as “AI-created” spread false images of a “Maduro mansion in the Bahamas.” Cocuyo Chequea verified they were digital montages recycled since 2019.
3. Legal Gaps and Geopolitics
– Absence of Documents: There are no property records, contracts, or rulings naming Maduro or Flores as owners. Bondi attributed the assets to a “criminal enterprise,” but did not show financial transfers or chains of ownership.
– Context of Pressure: The announcement is part of sanctions against the “mythical” Cartel de los Soles, designated as “terrorists” by the U.S. in July 2025. Venezuela labeled these actions as “political propaganda” to justify the reward and destabilize the government.
– Double Standard: While the U.S. seizes assets with generic arguments, in 2024 it offered Flores “a mansion in the Dominican Republic” for exile, according to deputy Jorge Rodríguez. This suggests they were aware of properties in the RD, but not as assets of Maduro.
Conclusion
The narrative of the “mansion seized from Maduro” operates on speculative ground: it relies on unvalidated media inferences, deliberate omissions of evidence by the U.S., and a recurrent pattern of misinformation (2019-2025). Without land records, seizure dates, or public judicial documents, the direct link to the Venezuelan president remains a politically convenient hypothesis, not a legal fact.
> 🔏 In summary: Political designation ≠ legal proof.
legal proof.