The Ortega-Murillo family has sold Grupo Minero Xiloá (Grumixsa), the company that operated a gold processing plant in the community of Villanueva, in Chinandega. According to former employees, the new owner is U.S. national James Randy Martin, representing the company Los Ángeles, S.A.
The value of the deal remains undisclosed. However, sources said that Marcos Rivas Kauffman—one of Grumixsa’s partners and a trusted employee of the ruling family—announced the change of ownership to workers on Friday, February 13, adding that the plant would now be managed by a Canadian national.
Whistleblowers claim the sale was forced following LA PRENSA’s reporting on a network of companies that allegedly underpinned the Ortega-Murillo family’s gold business.
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After being informed of the ownership change, workers were promised severance payments within ten days. Two months later, they say, they have yet to receive any compensation.
On April 7, LA PRENSA contacted the management of Los Ángeles, S.A. seeking information about how the mining concession previously held by Grumixsa had been transferred. No response has been received.
According to the official mining concession title PGJ-DGM-0009-2026, published the same day in the government gazette La Gaceta, the Office of the Attorney General (PGJ) approved the transfer through an expedited process.
Sources within the gold sector said Grumixsa was shut down on orders from Vice President Rosario Murillo. The company operated the processing plant in Villanueva, specifically on the “Flor de Azalea” lot, which spans 1,352.29 hectares and had been authorized since October 1, 2024.
Workers have not been paid their severances
Workers backed their claims with a termination document from one employee, whose name was withheld for security reasons. The document cites Article 41 of the Labor Code as the legal basis for ending the employment relationship. While the article outlines several possible causes—including contract completion, project termination, or force majeure—the specific reason was not detailed in this case.
The document, signed by human resources chief José Fernando Sobalvarro Cruz and dated February 15—two days after workers were informed of the sale—states that all due wages and benefits would be paid within the legally established timeframe.
That has not happened.
“Nearly two months have passed and there is still no severance. They just keep saying ‘next week.’ Workers are tired of hearing the same thing, and people need their money,” the former employees said, calling on Marcos Rivas Kauffman to appear and settle the payments.
As previously reported by LA PRENSA, Grumixsa’s Managua offices were located at the same site once occupied by the state-owned Nicaraguan Mining Company, which was sanctioned by the United States in 2022. Those offices and their staff were later relocated to the Chinandega plant. These workers, too, remain unpaid.
Part of a Broader Gold Network
Grumixsa is one of three societies allegedly involved in a system used to extract payments from artisanal miners and established firms, through which the Ortega-Murillo family maintained control over the gold industry. While Grumixsa has shut down, the other related companies are reportedly operating at minimal levels.
The company’s manager, Marlon Salinas, previously worked for Alba Generación. Meanwhile, a lawyer involved in transferring administrative powers reportedly belongs to the Ortega-Murillo inner circle.
Marcos Rivas Kauffman has held key positions within the government, including replacing the late presidential secretary Paul Oquist in 2020 after Oquist was sanctioned by the United States. He has also served on the board of the state mining company Eniminas and the Nicaraguan Petroleum Company.
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Grumixsa’s majority shareholder is Urbanizadora Industrial, S.A. (Urbisa), represented by Carlos Armando Flores Zamora. Urbisa is one of 22 companies identified in a 2022 investigation by Confidencial as part of the Ortega-Murillo business conglomerate.
According to LA PRENSA, Urbisa controls 70 percent of Grumixsa, while the remaining shares belong to Elixon Canales Lara, who nonetheless serves as company president. Workers recall that Laureano Ortega Murillo visited the plant in its early days.
“At the beginning, Laureano Ortega represented the government. Later he left Marcos Rivas in charge. Marcos is just a puppet. The real power has always been the Ortega-Murillo family, followed by Francisco López,” workers said.
Francisco López, the former treasurer of the ruling FSLN party, has recently fallen out of favor, reportedly on Murillo’s orders. Workers identify him as the “mastermind” behind the gold processing operation.
Two other companies were allegedly part of the scheme: Capital Mining Investment—sanctioned by the United States—which charged a five percent commission to miners forced to process their material through Grumixsa; and Suministro y Montaje Electromecánico, which imposed similar charges on established firms.
At the time of the sanctions, the U.S. Department of the Treasury described Capital Mining as an intermediary controlled by Laureano Ortega Murillo, operating within Nicaragua’s gold sector and charging companies to do business in the country.
Sale Coincided With Ongoing Investigation
Since launching its investigation last year, LA PRENSA has sought comment from key figures linked to the companies involved, without success.
Energy Minister Salvador Mansell has also not responded to inquiries. He has been accused by the United States of directing Compañía Minera Internacional, S.A. (Comintsa), which was sanctioned on the same day as Capital Mining Investment.
On February 11—two days before workers were informed of the sale—control of the Mining Directorate was transferred to the Office of the Attorney General, led by Wendy Morales, a close ally of Murillo.
LA PRENSA published the first installment of its investigation in November 2025 and released a second report on February 16, just three days after workers were notified of the sale.
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The second report included documents shedding further light on the alleged gold business network. Notably, on February 10, LA PRENSA had sent questions to Mansell regarding the scheme. He did not respond. Three days later, workers were told the company had been sold.
Under the Ortega-Murillo government, 8.5 percent of Nicaragua’s national territory has been granted in concession to 15 little-known Chinese mining companies, according to Fundación del Río. The administration has reshaped the gold sector through fiscal pressure on established firms while capitalizing on one of the country’s most important economic industries.
