MIAMI, Florida — The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida has released expanded details on the 11-count federal indictment against Guyanese gold dealers Nazar and Azruddin Mohamed, as the pair simultaneously fight extradition in a high-profile legal battle playing out in Georgetown. The newly released information sheds further light on what prosecutors describe as a multi-year scheme that defrauded the Government of Guyana of more than US$50 million in taxes and royalties between 2017 and 2024, and deepens the scrutiny surrounding the political rise of the younger Mohamed.
According to U.S. prosecutors, the father-and-son owners of Mohamed’s Enterprise manipulated Guyana’s gold export verification system by paying taxes and royalties on a single shipment to secure official government seals, then reusing those seals on subsequent shipments to avoid the statutory seven-percent tax and royalty payments. The indictment alleges that they shipped empty boxes bearing genuine Guyanese government seals from Dubai through Miami back to Georgetown and paid bribes to customs and other officials to ensure the operation continued undetected. Investigators estimate that at least 10,000 kilograms of gold were exported through Miami under the alleged scheme, with U.S. authorities also seeking forfeiture of US$5.3 million in gold bars seized at Miami International Airport in June 2024.
Nazar Mohamed faces charges including conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, and mail fraud. His son, Azruddin, is charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering, wire fraud, and a separate tax-evasion allegation involving more than US$1 million connected to the shipment of a Lamborghini from Miami to Guyana. Both men were sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control in June 2024 as part of a broader corruption-related action targeting Guyanese nationals.
The expanded U.S. disclosures come as the Mohameds face an ongoing extradition proceeding in Guyana. Prosecutors there argue that the U.S. indictment satisfies the evidentiary threshold under the Guyana–U.S. extradition treaty, while the defense insists the case is politically motivated and lacks corroborating evidence. Testimony referenced in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court includes the seized gold bars, the alleged bribery network, and OFAC’s findings—details that align closely with the allegations set out by U.S. prosecutors.
Azruddin Mohamed’s legal troubles stand in stark contrast to his rapid political ascent. A newcomer to public life, he has already been sworn in as a Member of Parliament after his party secured the second-highest number of seats in Guyana’s most recent general election, placing him in contention for the post of Leader of the Opposition. His rise has been met with widespread criticism in Guyana, particularly regarding the timing of his philanthropic initiatives. After being sanctioned by OFAC in 2024, Azruddin launched an aggressive nationwide campaign of charitable giving—distributing cash, food hampers, appliances, and sponsoring community events. Civil society groups, political analysts, and international observers have argued that the sudden expansion of his philanthropy was a calculated attempt to rebuild his public image, cultivate political loyalty, and secure elected office as a means of deflecting scrutiny.
Many critics have drawn parallels between his approach and the historical tactics of criminal figures such as Colombia’s Pablo Escobar and Jamaica’s Christopher “Dudus” Coke, both of whom famously used philanthropy to build community support while facing significant criminal accusations. Analysts warn that the comparisons reflect broader public concern in Guyana about the potential use of political office as a shield from accountability. Legal experts, however, emphasize that being a Member of Parliament does not provide immunity from federal indictment in the United States, nor does it prevent extradition proceedings under existing treaty obligations.
U.S. authorities say the investigation, led by Homeland Security Investigations in Miami and New York, IRS Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Diplomatic Security Service, and Customs and Border Protection, uncovered a deliberate and sophisticated effort to exploit Guyana’s gold export system for personal enrichment. The case is being prosecuted by Senior Litigation Counsel Michael N. Berger and Trial Attorney Jil Simon of the Justice Department’s Fraud Section, while Deputy Chief Josh Paster is overseeing asset forfeiture. The U.S. Attorney’s Office reiterated that an indictment is merely an allegation and that both defendants remain presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
Court documents and related filings can be accessed via the Southern District of Florida’s website at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or through the PACER system at pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 25-cr-20441.