Statement From the U.S. Attorney's Office : Guyanese Nationals Charged in $50 Million Tax Evasion and Money Laundering Scheme

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Florida

See Official Statement

MIAMI – A federal grand jury in Miami has returned an indictment charging two Guyanese nationals, Nazar Mohamed (72) and Azruddin Mohamed (38), with participating in a multi-year scheme to evade millions of dollars in taxes and royalties owed to the Government of Guyana through fraudulent gold export practices and associated money laundering activities.

Details of the Indictment

According to court documents, the Mohameds were owners of Mohamed’s Enterprise, a gold wholesaler and exporter based in Guyana, which sold gold to buyers in both Miami and Dubai. Guyanese authorities impose a tax of approximately seven percent on exported gold. From about 2017 through at least 2024, Nazar and Azruddin Mohamed allegedly enriched themselves by concealing the true quantity and value of gold exported by their company, defrauding the Government of Guyana.

The indictment details a system devised by the Mohamed’s Enterprise paid taxes and royalties on one shipment of gold to obtain official government seals, which they reused on subsequent shipments to avoid further taxation. To further facilitate their scheme, they allegedly shipped empty boxes with Guyanese government seals from Dubai to Guyana via Miami and paid bribes to customs and government officials.

In total, the Mohamed’s allegedly exported at least 10,000 kilograms of gold through Miami, leading to an estimated loss of around $50 million to the Government of Guyana.

Charges Filed

Nazar Mohamed: Charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, and mail fraud.
Azruddin Mohamed: Charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and wire fraud, with additional allegations related to a separate scheme to evade over $1 million in Guyanese taxes concerning the shipment of a Lamborghini from Miami to Guyana.

The indictment also seeks forfeiture of approximately $5.3 million in gold bars shipped by Mohamed’s Enterprise, which were seized at Miami International Airport on June 11, 2024.

Both individuals were sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control in June 2024. Azruddin Mohamed, who ran unsuccessfully for the presidency of Guyana in September 2025, is an incoming member of Guyana’s parliament.

Investigation and Prosecution

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

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

For more information, please visit the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at PACER under case number 25-cr-20441.