Just over a month after leading his newly formed We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) political party to become the main opposition in the Guyana National Assembly, billionaire businessman Azruddin Mohamed has been indicted by a United States grand jury on multiple fraud-related charges.
According to U.S. authorities, Mohamed and his father, businessman Nazar “Shell” Mohamed, have been charged with wire and mail fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The charges stem from allegations of tax evasion related to gold exports and the importation of a Lamborghini luxury vehicle.
If convicted of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, both men—who were sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in June 2024—could face up to 20 years in prison on each count, three years of supervised release, and fines of up to US$250,000 or twice the gross pecuniary gain or loss.
On the charges of wire fraud, Azruddin Mohamed could also face a 20-year prison sentence, three years of supervised release, and fines of up to US$250,000 or twice the pecuniary gain or loss. For conspiracy to commit money laundering, the grand jury is seeking a maximum of 20 years’ imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and a fine of US$500,000 or the value of the property involved in the transaction.
The United States government has also requested that, upon conviction, the defendants forfeit to the U.S. “any property, real or personal, which constitutes or is derived from proceeds traceable to such offense.” The property listed for forfeiture includes a shipment containing approximately US$5.3 million in gold bars exported from Guyana by Mohamed’s Enterprise and seized at Miami International Airport on June 11, 2024.
According to the unsealed indictment, between 2017 and June 2024, the defendants “did knowingly, and with the intent to further the objects of the conspiracy, combine, conspire, confederate, and agree with each other and others, known and unknown to the Grand Jury, to commit offenses against the United States.”
The indictment alleges that the purpose of the conspiracy was for the defendants to unlawfully enrich themselves and defraud the government of Guyana of taxes and royalties owed on gold exports. The U.S. accuses the Mohameds of reusing empty boxes with intact Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Guyana Gold Board (GGB) seals for shipments of gold, to make it appear as if Mohamed’s Enterprise had paid the required taxes and royalties when, in fact, it had not.
The grand jury further alleges that the Mohameds paid bribes to Guyanese government officials, including customs officers, so they would accept shipments of gold with duplicate paperwork and reused seals. The indictment claims the defendants shipped GRA and GGB seals from Miami to Mohamed’s Enterprise in Guyana to facilitate the alleged scheme.
“Nazar Mohamed and Azruddin Mohamed reused empty boxes with intact GRA and GGB seals for shipments of gold to make it appear that Mohamed’s Enterprise had paid Guyana taxes and royalties on shipments of gold when, in truth and in fact, Mohamed’s Enterprise had not paid them on those shipments of gold,” the court document states.
The indictment also includes allegations surrounding the purchase and importation of a Lamborghini valued at approximately US$680,000. The U.S. grand jury alleges that Azruddin Mohamed directed an unnamed individual—referred to as “Individual 1”—to acquire the car in California for his benefit and arrange its shipment from Miami to Guyana.
He allegedly instructed the individual to create a falsified invoice showing the Lamborghini’s value as US$75,300, far below its actual price, and caused the fake document to be presented to the Guyana Revenue Authority. This alleged act enabled him to evade more than one million dollars in import taxes owed to the Guyanese government.
