Venezuela Judge Convicts 6 American Oil Executives

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) – Defense lawyers for six American oil executives held for three years in Venezuela say a judge has found them guilty of corruption charges and immediately sentenced them to prison. The judge’s ruling Thursday came with sentences of more than eight years for each. The verdicts dashed the hopes of relatives for a quick release that would send the men home to the United States. The so-called Citgo 6 had been lured to Venezuela for three years ago for a business meeting and arrested. They are employees of the Houston-based Citgo refining company, which is owned by Venezuela’s state oil company, PDVSA.