Venezuelan Central Bank files federal lawsuit to block exchange rate website

The Central Bank of Venezuela has filed a lawsuit in a U.S. federal court, alleging that a group of Venezuelan exiles living in the United States are conspiring to manipulate the value of the country’s currency by “deliberately misrepresenting and falsifying it on a massive scale.” The Central Bank, an autonomous government entity that is tasked with developing the country’s currency exchange policy and monetary policy, and implementing said policies, filed its complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware Oct. 23. The bank contends in its 32-page complaint that the defendants -- DolarToday LLC; Gustavo Diaz Vivas, an Alabama resident; Ivan Dario Lozada-Salas, a Washington state resident; and Enrique Altuve Lozada, a Florida resident -- have harmed the Venezuelan people and the bank by publishing on a website allegedly misleading black-market exchange rates for dollars. More…