Silvercorp, Operation GIDEON (FBI + State Department + CIA + NSA + Southcom) (U.S. Department of State)

Thank you for filing your FOIA request online on 5/11/2021. Here is a review of your request.

The records I request can be described as follows:

To Whom It May Concern:Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:Internal records, emails, memorandums, audio/visual material and/or handwritten notes related to the planning, discussion, or response to "Operation GIDEON" or "SilverCorp" or "SIlverCorp USA" paramilitary contractor group and their involvement in a failed Venezuelan coup in May of 2020. If any records related to a US government effort to recover individuals associated with this botched operation exist, please also include those as responsive documents. Please do not consider news clippings relevant to this request and limit search results between the dates of January 2019 and the date of receipt of this request.Please also refer to the attached public reporting for additional details on this request.The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statute requires.Sincerely,Emily CroseAttachments: https://cdn.muckrock.com/outbound_composer_attachments/hexadecim8/96230/Operation20Gideon20a20Flop20But20Its20Producers20in20Washington20Will20Keep20Target.pdf https://cdn.muckrock.com/outbound_composer_attachments/hexadecim8/96230/Bay20of20Piglets20A20bizarre20plot20to20capture20a20president20-20BBC20News.jpg https://cdn.muckrock.com/outbound_composer_attachments/hexadecim8/96230/Venezuela20Report20Inside20Operation20Gideon2C20a20Coup20Gone20Very20Wrong20-20Rolli.jpgUpload documents directly: https://https://www.muckrock.comhttps://www.muckrock.com/

The time period of my request is from 01/01/2019 to 05/11/2021

I am An individual seeking information for personal use and not for commercial use.

I am willing to pay $25 for my request.

My additional comments are as follows:

N/A

Contact Information
Ms. Emily Crose
MuckRock News 411A Highland Ave
DEPT MR 112038
Somerville, Massachusetts 02144
P: (617)299-1832
F: N/A
requests@muckrock.com

**THIS EMAIL BOX IS NOT MONITORED, PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL.** Ms.Crose: This email acknowledges receipt of your May 11, 2021, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. § 552) request received by the U.S. Department of State, Office ofInformation Programs and Services on May 11, 2021, regardingthe planning, discussion, or response to "Operation GIDEON" or "SilverCorp" or "SIlverCorp USA" paramilitary contractor group and their involvement in a failed Venezuelan coup in May of 2020 (Date Range for Record Search: From 1/1/2019 To 5/11/2021). Unless you advise otherwise, we will treat as non-responsive any compilations of publicly available news reports and any publicly available documents not created by the U.S. government, such as mass-distribution emails from news media.  This Office assigned your request the subject reference number and placed it in the complex processing track where it will beprocessed as quickly as possible. See 22 CFR § 171.11(h). This Office willnot be able to respond within the 20 days provided by the statute due to“unusual circumstances.” See 5 U.S.C. §552(a)(6)(B)(i)-(iii). In this instance,the unusual circumstances include the need to search for and collect requestedrecords from other Department offices or Foreign Service posts. If you have any questions regarding yourrequest , would like to narrow the scope or arrange analternative time frame to speed its processing, or would like an estimated dateof completion, please contact our FOIA Requester Service Center or our FOIAPublic Liaison by email at FOIAstatus@state.gov or telephone at202-261-8484. Additionally, youmay contact the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) at theNational Archives and Records Administration to inquire about the FOIAmediation services they offer. Thecontact information for OGIS is as follows: Office of Government InformationServices, National Archives and Records Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road-OGIS,College Park, Maryland 20740-6001, email at ogis@nara.gov; telephone at202-741-5770; toll free at 1-877-684-6448; or facsimile at 202-741-5769. **THIS EMAIL BOX IS NOT MONITORED, PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL.**

Ms. Emily Crose,

The Office of Information Programs and Services (IPS) is in receipt of your inquiry below regarding case number F-2021-06243. We will follow-up with you as soon as possible to provide a response.

Thank you in advance for your patience.

If you have any questions, please contact the FOIA Requester Service Center (FRSC) at (202) 261-8484 or send an e-mail to foiastatus@state.gov<mailto:foiastatus@state.gov>
Regards,
Katrina Wood
U.S. Department of State
FOIA Requester Service Center

Ms. Crose,

This is in response to your email below regarding FOIA Case Control Number F-2021-06243.

This request is in process and has a January 12, 2024, estimated date of completion (EDC). EDCs are estimates and are subject to change. Please be advised that the Department takes its FOIA responsibilities seriously and is processing this request as quickly as possible. If the request can be completed prior to the EDC, a response will be sent to you sooner.

If you have any further concerns or questions regarding a FOIA-related matter, please contact the FOIA Requester Service Center via e-mail at FOIAStatus@state.gov<mailto:FOIAStatus@state.gov>.
Regards,

U.S. Department of State

FOIA Requester Service Center