Does Sean Penn party down with the new socialist owners of Globovision?
The upside is that, while discussing Thomas Piketty's tome on income inequality, they can relax in the luxury of one of their South Florida mansions. While the citizens of oil rich Venezuela reap the benefits of Chavista socialism by standing on long lines for hours to buy toilet paper and other basic commodities, if the bare store shelves do not empty out first, Penn and the Globovision owners can sip on fine wine purchased at exclusive Miami boutiques they have picked up while driving around town in one of their many luxury cars. El Nuevo Herald has chronicled the benefits of being Chavista media lackeys. So welcome to the wonderful Lifestyles of the Chavista Rich and (not so) Famous:
The new owners of Venezuela’s Globovisión television live in expensive homes, drive luxury cars and splurge on visits to Miami despite the network’s commitment to advancing former President Hugo Chávez’s 21st century socialism.
Documents obtained by El Nuevo Herald show some of the South Florida possessions of network owners Raúl Gorrín and Gustavo Perdomo, including companies under which their properties are registered.
So it definitely paid off by becoming government lackeys following the forced sale last year of Globovison which was the last televised source of independent news in Venezuela in order to become the MSNBC of that nation.
The sale of Globovisión was a big blow to the Venezuelan people, for it shut down the last channel that challenged the government’s censorship of opposition media.
The news channel’s programming changed dramatically during the weeks after the sale, and prominent journalists resigned when the new owners tried to impose a gag rule.
One has to wonder if the new Globovision owner was sipping on expensive champagne in his South Florida mansion swimming pool when he made this affirmation of support for socialism:
Gorrín, who is also the majority shareholder of the Venezuelan insurance company Seguros La Vitalicia, has made efforts to demonstrate in Venezuela that he supports the ideals of 21st century socialism, which advocates a less capitalistic and more equal society.
He once said on Globovisión that the “time has come for humanist entrepreneurs.”
“We have to go from Social Responsibility to real commitment … and our commitment is for life, like a marriage, for as long as we agree that the help should go to the needy,” he said.
And the among neediest of them appears to be the Globovision owners who need mansions, luxury cars, and all sorts of other expensive goodies:
Gorrín and Perdomo own several properties in Cocoplum, one of South Florida’s most expensive areas, with two of them valued at more than $4 million each, according to the documents obtained by El Nuevo Herald.
One of the properties, the one used by Gorrín and his family when he visits, is located at 144 Isla Dorada Blvd. and is valued at almost $4.4 million.
The property, with five bedrooms and six baths, has access to the bay and a small berth to dock yachts.
Perdomo owns a house that’s 6,203 square feet, acquired in October 2011 for $3.5 million by Magus Holding II Corp, in which Perdomo is listed as director.
The company was registered a few days before the purchase of the property, which the online firm Zillow Real Estate values at about $4.48 million.
The documents show that the properties were registered as assets of companies that Perdomo, Gorrín or their relatives appear as executives or directors.
The entrepreneurs also drive luxurious vehicles, including a Mercedes SUV, an Audi Q7, a Ferrari and a Maserati Quatroporte. Some of the cars are valued between $100,000 and $200,000.
The owners and their families also use their time in South Florida to shop at exclusive stores, including the Gucci and the Carolina Herrera boutiques.
I sure hope that among the many goodies that Gorrin and Perdomo have purchased are a couple of private jets outfitted with seats made from rich Corinthian leather. They will need them on permanent standby at a Caracas runway in order to flee the plebes for whom they profess to love should the Chavista regime suddenly fall.
