VENEZUELA CONVICTS SIX U.S. OIL EXECS

Six American oil executives held for three years in Venezuela were found guilty of corruption charges by a judge Thursday and immediately sentenced to prison, dashing hopes of a quick release that would send them home to their families in the United States.

Some relatives had been bracing for the outcome. Alirio Rafael Zambrano, brother to two of the men, said they were “undeniably innocent” and victims of “judicial terrorism.” No evidence in the case supports a guilty conviction, he said.

Attorney Maria Alejandra Poleo, who helped represent three of the men, said the case was “void of evidence.” “Of course, the defense will appeal the decision,” she said.

The so-called Citgo 6 — Gustavo Cardenas, Jorge Toledo, brothers Jose Luis Zambrano and Alirio Zambrano, Tomeu Vadell, and Jose Pereira — are employees of Houston-based Citgo refining company, which is owned by Venezuela’s state oil company, PDVSA. They had been lured to Venezuela three years ago for a business meeting and were arrested on corruption charges.

Their arrest launched a purge by President Nicolas Maduro’s government of PDVSA and at a time when relations between Caracas and Washington were crumbling as Venezuela plummeted into economic and social crisis.

Five of the men were sentenced to prison terms of 8 years and 10 months, while one of them received a 13-year sentence.

Venezuela’s Supreme Tribunal of Justice announced the verdicts and prison sentences but offered no other comment on the trial’s outcome.