The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned two sons of Nicaragua’s copresidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo on Thursday, along with officials and companies tied to the country’s gold industry, saying they help sustain a government the department described as repressive. Maurice Ortega and Daniel Edmundo Ortega, both government officials, were the highest-profile individuals named in the action. Nicaragua’s government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The action expands Washington’s financial pressure on Managua, which had largely avoided the heavy measures the Trump administration has applied to Cuba and Venezuela despite years of documented crackdowns that have imprisoned dissidents, expelled religious leaders and journalists, and forced the closure of more than 5,000 organizations since 2018.
The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned two sons of Nicaraguan copresidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo on Thursday, targeting Maurice Ortega and Daniel Edmundo Ortega alongside other officials and companies tied to the country’s gold industry. The department said those sanctioned help finance a government it described as repressive.
Nicaragua’s government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement: “The United States will not allow the illicit confiscation of American-owned assets and will continue to target revenue streams that empower the corrupt Murillo-Ortega regime.”
The department said the companies and officials named in the gold-industry portion of the action used corruption within that sector to fill government coffers. A number of those sanctioned were also involved in the seizure of a mining company that included U.S. investments, the Treasury said.
Broader Pressure on Latin America
The sanctions come as the Trump administration has exerted more financial and diplomatic pressure on adversarial countries in Latin America than any recent predecessor. While the U.S. has long accused Nicaragua of repression, the country had largely escaped the heavy measures Washington has applied to Cuba and Venezuela.
Ortega Family’s Consolidation of Power
Ortega officially named Murillo — his wife and a former vice president — as coprosident approximately a year ago. Observers said the appointment appeared aimed at consolidating the family’s grip on power and ensuring it passes to their children. Maurice Ortega and Daniel Edmundo Ortega, both identified as government officials, were the highest-profile individuals sanctioned Thursday, which the Treasury said was due to their roles in the government.
Nicaragua’s Crackdown Since 2018
Nicaragua’s government has carried out a sustained crackdown on dissent since mass social protests in 2018 that it violently repressed. Since then, authorities have reportedly imprisoned opponents, religious leaders, and journalists, then exiled them — stripping hundreds of their Nicaraguan citizenship and possessions. The government has also shuttered more than 5,000 organizations, largely religious, and forced thousands of people to flee the country.
U.N. experts said last month that Nicaragua’s government used corruption as a tool to finance systemic political repression and remain in power.
The government has frequently accused critics and organizations it targets of working for the United States and its adversaries to undermine its authority.