Italian restaurant owner reveals he was blacklisted by Donald Trump and hit with US SANCTIONS in a case of mistaken identity during crackdown on Venezuelan crude oil
One of the final acts of the Trump administration was almost certainly one of the most confounding for Alessandro Bazzoni, a restaurant owner in Verona, Italy.
As part of a crackdown on blacklisted Venezuelan crude, former President Donald Trump's Treasury Department accidentally slapped sanctions against his company on January 19, in a case of mistaken identity.
'It was a mistake,' Bazzoni said, speaking to Reuters by phone from his restaurant in Verona on Thursday.
One of the final acts of the Trump administration was almost certainly one of the most confounding for Alessandro Bazzoni, a restaurant owner in Verona, Italy
As part of a crackdown on blacklisted Venezuelan crude, former President Donald Trump's Treasury Department accidentally slapped sanctions against his pizzeria (pictured) on January 19
On Wednesday, Treasury reversed course and acknowledged its error, removing sanctions from AMG S.A.S. Di Alessandro Bazzoni & C., as well as sanctions on what appears to be a graphic design company in Porto Torres, Italy.
A Treasury official said the department realised the companies were owned by different individuals than the Bazzoni it blacklisted in January.
In 2019, the Trump administration sanctioned Venezuelan state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela seeking to force the resignation of President Nicolas Maduro.
The administration had accused Maduro and his government of corruption, human rights violations, and rigging his 2018 re-election.
The administration on its last full day in office imposed sanctions on a different Alessandro Bazzoni over accusations he was tied to a network attempting to evade sanctions on Venezuela's oil sector.
Treasury also slapped sanctions on companies it said were tied to Bazzoni, including AMG S.A.S. Di Alessandro Bazzoni & C., with the same address as the Dolce Gusto restaurant and pizzeria in Verona, Italy.
Records show the Verona-based Bazzoni owns both companies.
'They resolved the problem. I shouldn't be involved anymore,' he said. 'It was a mistake ... thankfully it was all resolved in a couple of months.'
Treasury also slapped sanctions on companies it said were tied to Bazzoni, including AMG S.A.S. Di Alessandro Bazzoni & C., with the same address as the Dolce Gusto restaurant and pizzeria in Verona, Italy
The Trump administration was seeking to sanction Venezuelan state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela and to force the resignation of President Nicolas Maduro
According to the Treasury, the real Bazzoni was designated for 'operating in the oil sector of the Venezuelan economy' and because he had 'materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, PdVSA.'
The Italian citizenship is believed to be a 'core facilitator' of Maduro's work, along with Francisco Javier D'Agostino Casado (D'Agostino).
Venezuela's oil minister Tareck El Aissami Maddah is also believed to have been involved in the elaborate scheme.
The Trump administration had accused Maduro and his government of corruption, human rights violations, and rigging his 2018 re-election
The sanctions were imposed on the administration's last full day in office in January and were meant to target a different Alessandro Bazzoni over accusations he was tied to a network attempting to evade sanctions on Venezuela's oil sector
At the time, Secretary Steven Mnuchin said: 'Those facilitating the illegitimate Maduro regime's attempts to circumvent United States sanctions contribute to the corruption that consumes Venezuela.
'The United States remains committed to targeting those enabling the Maduro regime's abuse of Venezuela's natural resources.'
The SerigraphicLab di Bazzoni Alessandro, also listed by OFAC, did not reply to emailed requests for comment.
'At the end of the Trump administration they were doing a lot really, really fast with respect to Venezuela, Iran and China,' said Tim O'Toole, a sanctions specialist at law firm Miller & Chevalier.
'When you move that fast, you tend to make mistakes,' he added.
The Alessandro Bazzoni whose restaurant was mistakenly sanctioned said he was thankful the error had been resolved in only a few months
