The Citgo Six is the name by which six senior executives of

Citgo Citgo Petroleum Corporation, or Citgo (stylized as CITGO), is a United States–based refiner, transporter and marketer of transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and other industrial products. Headquartered in the Energy Corridor area ...

, detained in Venezuela, are known. Citgo is a subsidiary of the state-owned oil company

Petróleos de Venezuela Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (acronym PDVSA, , English: Petroleum of Venezuela) is the Venezuelan state-owned oil and natural gas company. It has activities in exploration, production, refining and exporting oil as well as exploration and ...

(PDVSA).

Overview

The executives were arrested on November 21, 2017 and accused of signing an agreement that was "unfavorable" for the Venezuelan subsidiary. The executives denied the charges against them and stated that they were victims of a political move by the Venezuelan Maduro-led government to pressure the United States government. They were granted

house arrest House arrest (also called home confinement, or nowadays electronic monitoring) is a legal measure where a person is required to remain at their residence under supervision, typically as an alternative to imprisonment. The person is confined b ...

in December 2019, but were sent back to jail on the same day that President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

received

Juan Guaidó Juan Gerardo Antonio Guaidó Márquez (born 28 July 1983) is a Venezuelan politician and opposition figure. He belonged to the social-democratic party Popular Will, and was a federal deputy to the National Assembly representing the state of V ...

(Maduro's opponent in the

Venezuelan presidential crisis The Venezuelan presidential crisis was a political crisis concerning the leadership and the legitimate president of Venezuela between 2019 and 2023, with the nation and the world divided in support for Nicolás Maduro or Juan Guaidó. Venezu ...

) at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

. On November 26, 2020 the executives were sentenced on corruption-related charges. On April 30, 2021 they were issued a measure of house arrest, but were transferred to

El Helicoide El Helicoide is a building in Caracas, Venezuela owned by the Venezuelan government and used as a facility and prison for both regular and political prisoners of the Bolivarian Intelligence Service, Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEB ...

after the extradition of Maduro-linked Colombian businessman

Alex Saab Alex Nain Saab Morán (born 21 December 1971) is a Colombian-born Venezuelan businessman, who has served as Venezuela’s Minister of Industry and National Production since 18 October 2024. Saab was the subject of journalistic investigations fo ...

in 2021, who was facing federal money laundering charges in the United States. The US government demanded the immediate release of the executives. On March 9, 2022, one of the Citgo Six was released following a meeting between US officials, including US Ambassador to Venezuela James B. Story, and Venezuelan President

Nicolás Maduro Nicolás Maduro Moros (; born 23 November 1962) is a Venezuelan politician and former union leader serving as the 53rd president of Venezuela since 2013. Previously, he was the 24th Vice President of Venezuela, vice president from 2012 to 20 ...

. The families of the five remaining executives were a part of the Bring Our Families Home campaign which advocates for bringing home wrongful detainees and hostages. Their images are featured in a 15-foot mural in Georgetown (Washington, D.C.) along with those of other Americans wrongfully detained abroad. On October 1, 2022 the remaining five members of the Citgo Six were released following a

prisoner exchange A prisoner exchange or prisoner swap is a deal between opposing sides in a conflict to release prisoners: prisoner of war, prisoners of war, spy, spies, hostages, etc. Sometimes, cadaver, dead bodies are involved in an exchange. Geneva Conven ...

. On December 27, 2023 the Citgo Six were honored by

Sylvester Turner Sylvester Turner (September 27, 1954 – March 5, 2025) was an American attorney and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from January 2025 until his death in March 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democra ...

for being exemplary members of the business community, for their moral, ethic and family values. The mayor’s proclamation also honored the businessmen for being a great example of the American Dream, and for their resilience, determination, strong courage and faith to survive physical and psychological tortures of the brutal and extreme ordeal. Mayor Turner also proclaimed that December 19 in the city of Houston will be celebrated as “The Citgo Six Day.”

References

{{Reflist American prisoners and detainees United States–Venezuela relations Political prisoners during the Bolivarian Revolution PDVSA

Overview

See also

References