DOJ details $50M gold tax fraud case tied to Guyana politician

The U.S. Department of Justice has released new details on federal charges filed against two Guyanese nationals accused of orchestrating a multi-year, multimillion-dollar tax evasion and money laundering scheme tied to fraudulent gold exports.

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According to the DOJ, a federal grand jury in Miami returned an indictment on Oct. 2 charging Nazar Mohamed, 72, and his son, Azruddin Mohamed, 38, with evading millions in taxes and royalties owed to the Government of Guyana through their company, Mohamed’s Enterprise, a gold wholesaler and exporter operating in Guyana with buyers in Miami and Dubai.

Court documents allege that from about 2017 through at least 2024, the pair enriched themselves by concealing the true quantity and value of gold exported by their business. Guyanese authorities impose roughly a seven-percent tax and duty on exported gold.

Investigators say the Mohameds devised a system in which the company paid taxes and royalties on one shipment of gold to obtain official government seals, then reused those seals on additional shipments to avoid paying required fees. The indictment also alleges they shipped empty boxes bearing Guyanese government seals from Dubai through Miami to Guyana and paid bribes to customs and other government officials to facilitate illegal shipments.

Prosecutors say the scheme allowed the pair to export at least 10,000 kilograms of gold through Miami, causing an estimated loss of approximately $50 million to the Guyanese government.

Nazar Mohamed is charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, and mail fraud. Azruddin Mohamed is charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and wire fraud. The indictment further alleges that Azruddin carried out a separate scheme to evade more than $1 million in taxes tied to the shipment of a Lamborghini from Miami to Guyana. Prosecutors are also seeking forfeiture of approximately $5.3 million in gold bars seized at Miami International Airport on June 11, 2024.

Both men were sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control in June 2024. Azruddin Mohamed, who unsuccessfully ran for president of Guyana in September 2025, is an incoming member of Guyana’s parliament. He leads the political party We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), which he founded in 2025.

U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida, Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Criminal Division, and Acting Special Agents in Charge José R. Figueroa and Ricky J. Patel of Homeland Security Investigations in Miami and New York announced the charges.

The case was investigated by HSI Miami and New York, IRS Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Senior Litigation Counsel Michael N. Berger and Trial Attorney Jil Simon of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case, with Deputy Chief Josh Paster handling asset forfeiture.