Yeah, you're probably right, it was probably Chavez. I worked with this guy years ago, I'm not sure of the timeline off the top of my head.

The point is that the rich had it made under the old system, and had to leave when it changed.

I also had some elderly neighbors from Venezuela, and they had relatives that would have loved to visit them, but they were afraid to leave because they were afraid their houses and businesses would be confiscated by the government while they were gone. That happened to one relative when she went to visit family that was living in Paris, so she just stayed in Paris.