WASHINGTON, Oct 23 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice

Department said on Wednesday that a Venezuelan television news

network owner was charged in an alleged $1.2 billion money

laundering scheme.

Raul Gorrin Belisario, 56, was indicted by a federal grand

jury in Florida for his role in a scheme "to launder funds

corruptly obtained from Venezuela's state-owned and

state-controlled energy company, Petróleos de Venezuela S.A.

(PDVSA), in exchange for hundreds of millions in bribe payments

to Venezuelan officials," the Justice Department said.