WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, as Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro continues his effort to steal a third Venezuelan presidential election, Senator Rick Scott was joined by Senator Marco Rubio in announcing the introduction of his Securing Timely Opportunities for Payment and Maximizing Awards for Detaining Unlawful Regime Officials (STOP MADURO) Act. This legislation would increase the maximum reward amount from $15 million to a maximum of $100 million for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Nicolás Maduro. The reward would be paid out by the federal government using seized assets already being withheld from Maduro, officials of the Maduro regime and their co-conspirators, not taxpayer funds. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in South Florida and its federal law enforcement partners who have brought dozens of criminal charges against high-level regime officials, asset seizures total approximately $450 million dollars. Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart and Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz are leading the companion bipartisan legislation in the House of Representatives which is cosponsored by Representatives Carlos A. Giménez (FL-28), Jenniffer González-Colón (PR-At Large), María Elvira Salazar (FL-27), Mike Waltz (FL-06), Chris Smith (NJ-04) and Darren Soto (FL-09).

Senator Rick Scott said, “The time has come for Venezuela to be liberated from the illegitimate regime of dictator Nicolás Maduro. For years, I have urged the Biden-Harris administration to put the full weight of the federal government to put an end to the Maduro regime, but it has refused and continued its failed appeasement that has only enriched and emboldened Maduro and his puppet masters in Cuba at the expense of the Venezuelan people. In 2020, the Trump administration did the right thing by offering a reward of up to $15 million, but it’s time to up the ante. My STOP MADURO Act will increase the maximum reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Maduro to $100 million, using seized assets instead of U.S. taxpayer money to bring an end to the tyranny caused by this narcoterrorist. The Venezuelan people overwhelmingly voted for a new day of freedom and democracy on July 28 when they elected Edmundo González in an effort led by opposition leader María Corina Machado. It’s clear Maduro will not step down on his own, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill to rid Venezuela and the world of Maduro’s oppression and make way for President-elect González to bring democracy, freedom and opportunity back to Venezuela.”

Senator Marco Rubio said, “The U.S. must do more to arrest narco-dictator Nicolás Maduro. I’ve called for Interpol to issue a red alert notice to facilitate this, and this legislation builds on that call by increasing the reward for his arrest to $100 million. Maduro is one of the Venezuelan regime’s most corrupt schemers and it’s past time he is held accountable for his crimes.”

Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart said, "For nearly two months since the July 28th ‘elections,’ in which the Venezuelan people overwhelmingly voted for President-elect Edmundo González, the Maduro regime has only escalated its brutal repression. According to reports, arbitrary detentions, torture, and politically motivated persecution – have intensified under Maduro's oppressive rule.

“Maduro's regime is a criminal enterprise that fuels narco-terrorism, suppresses independent media, and violates human rights with impunity. Last year, I warned that the Biden-Harris Administration's appeasement of this dictatorship would only embolden Maduro. Lifting sanctions has endangered our national security, aiding a regime closely allied with dangerous adversaries like Russia, Iran, Cuba, and the PRC.

“Instead of easing sanctions, the Biden-Harris Administration should stand in solidarity with the Venezuelan people in their fight for freedom by increasing this bounty and strengthening sanctions.”

###