On August 8, 2025, Venezuela announced a $50 million reward for the unreleased Jeffrey Epstein files. This move came hours after U.S. President Donald Trump doubled a bounty to $50 million for the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
The U.S. accuses Maduro of drug trafficking and narco-terrorism, charges he denies. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil called Trump’s bounty “pathetic” and said it was a “political propaganda operation.”
Gil said Venezuela’s offer aims to reveal the Epstein files, which he claims may involve U.S. officials. The U.S. Justice Department denied last month that any such “client list” exists, but the claim has caused speculation.
The competing bounties increase tensions between the two countries. Maduro was indicted in 2020 by the U.S. but stayed in power after a disputed election in 2024. The U.S. has seized $700 million linked to him, including jets and cocaine shipments.
On social media, users joked about the bounties and the known locations of Maduro and the Epstein files.
