Jordan Guy MacDonald Goudreau (born 30 July 1976) is a

Canadian-American Canadian Americans is a term that can be applied to American citizens whose ancestry is wholly or partly Canadian, or citizens of either country that hold dual citizenship. The term ''Canadian'' can mean a nationality or an ethnicity. Canadia ...

mercenary A mercenary, sometimes also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any o ...

who claimed responsibility for organizing the Macuto Bay incursion into Venezuelan territory on 3 May 2020. He is the owner and operator of a private security firm based in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

called Silvercorp USA, which he set up in 2018. Goudreau previously served in the

Canadian Armed Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force. ...

and the

U.S. Army Special Forces The United States Army Special Forces (SF), colloquially known as the "Green Berets" due to their distinctive service headgear, are a special operations force of the United States Army. The Green Berets are geared towards nine doctrinal m ...

Early life

Goudreau was raised in a middle-class family on the outskirts of

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

. Childhood friends said he was competitive, enjoyed playing video games and watched

kung fu films Kung fu film () is a subgenre of martial arts films and Hong Kong action cinema set in the contemporary period and featuring realistic martial arts. It lacks the fantasy elements seen in ''wuxia'', a related martial arts genre that uses historical ...

. Goudreau's father said he had "a family full of military people," including Goudreau's grandfather and great-grandfather. He later attended the

University of Calgary The University of Calgary (U of C or UCalgary) is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The University of Calgary started in 1944 as the Calgary branch of the University of Alberta, founded in 1908, prior to being ins ...

from 1994 to 1998, studying computer science.

Military career

After finishing college, Goudreau served in the

but wanted to enlist in the

United States armed forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...

to pursue a more challenging military career. He moved to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

and enlisted in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

a few months prior to the

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New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, eventually reaching the rank of Sergeant first class in the 10th Special Forces Group. Documentation shows that Goudreau faced months of combat while deployed and suffered a

concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include loss of consciousness (LOC); memory loss; headaches; difficulty with thinking, concentration, ...

and back injuries during a parachuting accident in August 2014. After this incident, he was granted medical retirement in 2016, receiving disability payments after discharging from the military. Following his retirement, Goudreau became a

naturalized United States citizen Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Constituti ...

Silvercorp USA

After

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

was affected by

Hurricane Maria Hurricane Maria was a deadly Saffir–Simpson scale#Category 5, Category 5 Tropical cyclone, hurricane that devastated the northeastern Caribbean in September 2017, particularly Dominica, Saint Croix, and Puerto Rico. It is regarded as the wo ...

in September 2017, Goudreau served as a security contractor and saw the financial benefits of being in the industry. He founded a private security-services company called ''Silvercorp USA'' in February 2018.

School safety

Following the

Stoneman Douglas High School shooting On February 14, 2018, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz opened fire on students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in the Miami suburban town of Parkland, Florida, murdering 17 people and injuring 17 others. Cruz, a former student at t ...

that month, he presented a concept of placing undercover special forces veterans in schools at a Florida school security conference in July 2018. At the convention, Goudreau proposed that parents personally pay $8.99 per month for the service, comparing it to a

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

subscription. When asked why he preferred personal payments, he said that it was to avoid the "chain of command" at schools, adding "We want private money, because it's faster." In April 2018, Goudreau began working with schools in

Cartagena, Colombia Cartagena ( , also ), known since the colonial era as Cartagena de Indias (), is a city and one of the major ports on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Coast Region, bordering the Caribbean sea. Cartagena's past role as a link ...

to teach safety classes for students.

Security services for a Trump rally

Silvercorp USA provided security services for at least one rally for

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

. At a Trump rally in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

Bojangles' Coliseum Bojangles Coliseum (originally Charlotte Coliseum and formerly Independence Arena and Cricket Arena) is an 8,600-seat multi-purpose arena located in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is operated by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, which als ...

on 26 October 2018, Goudreau could be seen providing security services at the event. Through connections within the private security community, Goudreau was acquainted with

Keith Schiller Keith Schiller (born c. 1959) is an American former law enforcement official and security consultant who served as Deputy Assistant to U.S. President Donald Trump and Director of Oval Office Operations. Prior to his appointment in the Trump adm ...

, President Trump's longtime director of security.

Venezuela

In February 2019, Silvercorp provided security services at

Venezuela Aid Live Venezuela Aid Live was a concert to benefit Venezuela in Cúcuta, Colombia, a city near the Venezuelan border, on 22 February 2019. The all-day concert, called ''Música por Venezuela: Ayuda y Libertad'' (), was organized by Richard Branson and ...

, which led Goudreau to turn his attention to Venezuela. According to Drew White, a former business associate of Silvercorp, Goudreau saw an opportunity to overthrow Maduro when the Trump administration focused on removing Maduro from power. Goudreau eventually met with officials from Venezuela interim president Juan Guaidó's team in October and November 2019, tentatively agreeing on plans for an armed operation in Venezuela to capture Maduro, but the two parties separated after disagreements. On 3 May 2020, Goudreau released a video alongside former

Venezuelan National Guard The Bolivarian National Guard of Venezuela ( es, Guardia Nacional Bolivariana de Venezuela - GNB), is one of the four components of the National Armed Forces of Venezuela. The national guard can serve as gendarmerie, perform civil defense roles, ...

(GNB) officer Javier Nieto Quintero, claiming responsibility for an armed incursion into Venezuelan territory by "land and sea" which he called "Operation Gideon", involving 60 troops and two former

United States Army Special Forces The United States Army Special Forces (SF), colloquially known as the "Green Berets" due to their distinctive service Berets of the United States Army, headgear, are a special operations special operations force, force of the United States Ar ...

members. Goudreau, who was not present in Venezuela, posted updates about the coup attempt on

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

shortly before and during the operation. He and Nieto Quintero filmed their video in Florida, where they both reside. Goudreau claimed he unsuccessfully sought the backing of the U.S. government for his operation. The

Venezuelan government Venezuela is a federal presidential republic. The chief executive is the President of Venezuela who is both head of state and head of government. Executive power is exercised by the President. Legislative power is vested in the National Asse ...

said security forces had foiled a "marine incursion" by "terrorist mercenaries" from neighboring

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

Vargas state ) , anthem = '' Carmañola Americana'' , image_map = Vargas in Venezuela.svg , map_alt = , map_caption = Location within Venezuela , pushpin_map = , pushpin_map_alt ...

, killing eight and capturing two.

State television State media or government media are media outlets that are under financial and/or editorial control of the state or government, directly or indirectly. There are different types of state and government media. State-controlled or state-run media a ...

showed images of captured weapons,

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

vian documents, and uniforms emblazoned with the

American flag The national flag of the United States of America, often referred to as the ''American flag'' or the ''U.S. flag'', consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the c ...

. Goudreau and Nieto Quintero, identified as a retired Venezuelan military captain, published a video the same day claiming responsibility for the attack. The following day, Goudreau stated that two of the captured men were U.S. citizens. Airan Berry and Luke Denman, both ex-green berets, were captured on their "peñero- type boat by a fisherman. Opposition leader

Juan Guaidó Juan Gerardo Guaidó Márquez (born 28 July 1983) is a Venezuelan politician, a former member of the Social democracy, social-democratic Popular Will party, and federal deputy to the National Assembly (Venezuela), National Assembly representing ...

has denied any links to the operation.Vivian Sequera and Brian Ellsworth
Venezuelan authorities detain U.S. citizens allegedly involved in incursion
' Reuters May 4, 2020 The Venezuelan government claimed the United States and its

Drug Enforcement Administration The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA; ) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating drug trafficking and distribution within th ...

(DEA) were responsible for the operation and had support from Colombia. Goudreau claimed that Guaidó and two political advisers had signed a contract with him for $213 million in October 2019. US federal authorities opened an investigation on Goudreau for

arms trafficking Arms trafficking or gunrunning is the illicit trade of contraband small arms and ammunition, which constitutes part of a broad range of illegal activities often associated with transnational criminal organizations. The illegal trade of small a ...

. On 8 May 2020, Venezuelan Attorney General

Tarek William Saab Tarek William Saab Halabi (, ar, طارق وليام صعب حلبي; born 10 September 1962) is a Venezuelan politician, lawyer and poet. He is a leader of the Fifth Republic Movement (MVR) party founded by Hugo Chávez, President of Venezuela, ...

requested the

extradition Extradition is an action wherein one jurisdiction delivers a person accused or convicted of committing a crime in another jurisdiction, over to the other's law enforcement. It is a cooperative law enforcement procedure between the two jurisdict ...

of Goudreau from the United States, in addition to Venezuelan opposition politicians Juan José Rendon and Sergio Vergara, for the "design, financing, and execution" of the plan to overthrow Maduro.

Awards and decorations

Sergeant First Class Goudreau's decorations, medals and badges include:

References

External links

Silvercorp USA
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goudreau, Jordan 1976 births People of the Crisis in Venezuela United States Army non-commissioned officers Private military contractors Living people Canadian emigrants to the United States University of Calgary alumni Naturalized citizens of the United States American mercenaries American filibusters (military) Canadian mercenaries Canadian Army personnel People from Calgary Region People from Melbourne, Florida Fugitives wanted by Venezuela