Wilbert Joseph Castañeda Gomez is a U.S. Navy veteran and former Special Warfare Operator (Navy SEAL) who has served in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Colombia. He joined the Navy in 2007 and held the rank of Petty Officer First Class. At the time of his arrest in August 2024, he was no longer an active Navy SEAL, as his Navy Enlisted Classification had been revoked prior to the incident. Castañeda was detained in Caracas, Venezuela, accused by Venezuelan authorities of participating in a CIA-led plot to assassinate President Nicolás Maduro and overthrow his government. Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello publicly identified him as one of several foreigners arrested in connection with this alleged conspiracy, which Venezuela claimed involved Americans, Spaniards, and a Czech national. The U.S. government has categorically denied these allegations, describing them as false[1][3][4][6]. Castañeda was held in Venezuela for nearly a year before being released in July 2025 as part of a prisoner exchange that involved the return of over 250 Venezuelan deportees from the United States. Upon release, he began a reintegration process to support service members who have experienced prolonged isolation. His detention and the broader circumstances remain under investigation by U.S. Navy officials. According to his family, Castañeda had traveled to Venezuela to meet a romantic partner at the time of his arrest[6]. Earlier in his career, a different individual named Wilbert Castaneda was recognized by the U.S. Air Force with a Distinguished Flying Cross for extraordinary achievement during the Vietnam War, but this appears to be a separate person and not directly related to Wilbert Joseph Castañeda Gomez[2].