Overview
- Federal investigators have interviewed multiple people advancing the Venezuela-steered 2020 narrative, according to four sources.
- Promoters Gary Berntsen and Martin Rodil repeatedly briefed U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow in Puerto Rico, who sources say shared materials with the Panama Express task force in Tampa.
- Investigators on the Panex team have questioned backers of the claims as the task force shifts attention to Venezuelan crime and finance.
- Courts have already rejected the theory, including a 2023 Delaware ruling, and major outlets later paid substantial defamation settlements over similar allegations.
- Berntsen said indictments are near, a claim not corroborated by public records or officials.