A federal choose in Tampa has ordered the arrest of a former Inexperienced Beret accused of plotting to invade Venezuela in 2020 after he failed to indicate as much as courtroom for a listening to on whether or not he needs to be taken again into custody for violating the situations of his pre-trial launch.
Jordan Goudreau, 49, was arrested final 12 months on weapons smuggling expenses tied to the failed coup try undertaken throughout the first Trump administration.
He was launched after just a few weeks in jail when filmmaker Jen Gatien pledged her $2 million Manhattan condo the place the fight veteran was dwelling as collateral for a bond. In testimony this week, Gatien detailed how the three-time Bronze Star recipient turned abusive, alleging he threatened to hurt her and others and despatched textual content messages saying he wouldn’t return to jail.
“I believe he intends one day to leave this country,” Gatien mentioned, noting that Goudreau beforehand lived on a sailboat in Mexico.
Decide Christopher Tuite issued an arrest warrant Friday after ready half-hour for Goudreau to indicate up for the third day of the bond listening to. A probation officer mentioned the ankle monitor Goudreau was purported to put on was nonetheless situated within the Tampa space, the place Goudreau was dwelling whereas present process equine-assisted remedy supervised by the U.S. Division of Veterans Affairs.
“I’m at a loss,” Goudreau’s legal professional Marissel Descalzo informed the choose. “I have not spoken to him as to why he’s not here.”
Documentary about Venezuela raid
Gatien’s new documentary, “Men of War,” is a largely sympathetic take a look at Goudreau’s slapdash plan to coach a mercenary drive of Venezuelan military deserters in neighboring Colombia to hold out a cross-border raid that aimed to spark a well-liked riot and take away President Nicolas Maduro.
The plot, uncovered by The Related Press two days earlier than the incursion, by no means stood an opportunity in opposition to Maduro’s far superior safety forces and ended with a number of would-be freedom fighters killed and two of Goudreau’s U.S. Particular Forces buddies locked away in a Venezuelan jail.
Former Inexperienced Beret Jordan Goudreau walks to america Courthouse for a bond listening to in Tampa, Fla., Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025.
Chris O’Meara / AP
For the reason that film’s launch final month, the connection between the 2 has soured and within the weeks main as much as the bond listening to the filmmaker in courtroom filings accused Goudreau of deceit, monetary coercion and threatening conduct.
Particularly, Gatien accused Goudreau of reneging on a promise – described by prosecutors as an “undisclosed side agreement” – to pledge his sizable reserves of money, gold cash and cryptocurrency to mitigate the filmmaker’s monetary threat as his sole bond guarantor.
She additionally shared with the courtroom screenshots of offended textual content messages, typically incoherent and stuffed with profanity, during which he claims “I’m not going back to prison” – an announcement prosecutors say signifies his intention to flee.
“I would have gotten zero if he fled,” Gatien testified. “All I got was broken promises for the past year.”
Seek for assault rifles
Amongst these scheduled to testify on the listening to for the federal government was an Oklahoma couple which was storing a few of Goudreau’s belongings, together with two assault rifles an affiliate just lately tried to retrieve in attainable violation of a courtroom order in opposition to possessing firearms whereas on bond.
In a sworn affidavit, Brande and Jason Woolems defined that Goudreau had known as them final month pressuring them to make false accusations in opposition to Gatien to dam her from backing out of the bond.
The couple mentioned of their sworn assertion that Goudreau requested them to signal statements that accused Gatien of misconduct.
“When we declined, he called us ‘Judas’ and accused us of betrayal, yelling repeatedly in anger,” they mentioned within the assertion.
Bay of Piglets
The 2020 invasion, which got here to be generally known as the Bay of Piglets, stands as a cautionary story of the customarily amateurish method the Trump administration has pursued regime change in Venezuela.
These criticisms have grown stronger in latest weeks as a naval flotilla deployed by Trump has carried out a number of lethal strikes on suspected drug smuggling boats departing Venezuela and the president approved the CIA to hold out covert actions contained in the South American nation.
The United Nations human rights chief mentioned Friday that U.S. should cease its navy strikes in opposition to boats within the area to forestall “extrajudicial killing.”
Amid rising concern a few potential U.S. invasion, Goudreau has reemerged as a media pundit widespread with Trump supporters and “radical leftist” critics alike.
In latest interviews, Goudreau has at occasions lashed out at an array of purported deep-state actors – the CIA and State Division amongst them – that he blames for “sabotaging” his clandestine mission, which he insists was blessed with a wink from the primary Trump administration.
Lots of those self same actors are as soon as once more attempting to derail Trump’s overseas coverage agenda, he mentioned. In the meantime, he known as Trump’s allegations that Maduro is the chief of the so-called Suns Cartel of drug-running navy officers a “fabrication of the CIA.”
“If we do invade Venezuela what’s next?” he just lately informed Russian state-owned RT. “The truth of the matter is the Venezuelan opposition is as ruthless and tyrannical as the Venezuelan regime under Nicolas Maduro.”
Days after Goudreau’s failed raid, Venezuela’s authorities detained two different Individuals on suspicion of plotting to topple Maduro’s authorities.
Plot aimed to oust president
Goudreau, who was born in Canada, mentioned he grew to become a believer in the reason for Venezuelan democracy after working safety at a profit live performance held in Colombia to ship humanitarian help throughout the border.
Regardless of an absence of Spanish, he drew near a number of exiled allies of opposition chief Juan Guaidó, who the U.S. then acknowledged as Venezuela’s official chief. Over a number of months, a plan was hatched to invade Venezuela with the purpose of sparking a well-liked riot. As a part of that effort, Goudreau signed a contract with the Guaidó workforce, though the 2 sides cut up months earlier than the raid was carried out below new management probably infiltrated by Maduro’s intelligence providers.
Goudreau was scheduled to go on trial in February on expenses of failing to acquire an export license to ship roughly 60 AR-15 rifles to clandestine camps the place would-be freedom fighters have been being skilled.
In accordance with U.S. officers, Goudreau and others “conspired to export AR-type firearms, night vision devices, laser sights and other equipment from the United States to Colombia without obtaining the required export licenses. These unlicensed exports were undertaken to carry out activities in Venezuela.”
Two of the rifles seized in Colombia include traces of Goudreau’s DNA, whereas suppressors, night-vision goggles and different tools had serial numbers matching these bought by Goudreau and his Melbourne, Florida-based safety agency Silvercorp, based on prosecutors.
Gatien registered a Florida manufacturing firm with Goudreau in 2021 and was described in courtroom data as his girlfriend. In testimony Gatien denied being something greater than good mates with Goudreau, who lived together with her for 2 years whereas attending the New York Movie Academy.
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