By The Epoch Times | Created at 2026-10-02 21:15:29 | Updated at 2026-10-02 22:25:37
1 hour ago
Former Rep. David Rivera (R-Fla.) was sentenced on Oct. 2 to 10 years in federal prison for secretly lobbying for Venezuela.
Rivera, who served in Congress between 2011 and 2013, faced a maximum sentence of 60 years behind bars and a potential $20 million asset forfeiture judgment. This comes after the former congressman, along with associate Esther Nuhfer, was convicted in May on all charges, including failing to register as a foreign agent and conspiring to commit money laundering.
Nuhfer was sentenced in August to five years in prison.
Prosecutors said Rivera and Nuhfer worked on behalf of the government of former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro as part of a covert influence campaign.
According to the prosecution, Rivera leveraged his Republican political connections, including connections from his time in Congress, to push U.S. officials to soften their stance toward Venezuela’s socialist leadership.
Rivera secured a $50 million lobbying deal from now-interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez, with funds connected to Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA, according to prosecutors.
As part of the effort, Rivera worked with Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) and others to arrange meetings with U.S. officials and business leaders.
Sessions has not been charged with any wrongdoing.
The case underscored Miami’s long-standing role as a center of influence in U.S.–Latin American relations, shaped by its large exile community.
Rivera was indicted in 2022 and charged with violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act, laundering of monetary instruments, and engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity. There was a total of 11 counts.
Prosecutors said he used encrypted communications to hide his activities, including a messaging group called “MIA.”
One of his key contacts was Venezuelan businessman Raúl Gorrín, who has separately faced U.S. bribery charges.
Messages presented at trial allegedly showed the use of coded language—referring to Maduro as “the bus driver,” Sessions as “Sombrero,” and money as “melons.”
Rivera denied any wrongdoing.
His defense argued that his firm was hired by a U.S.-based subsidiary of Venezuela’s oil company, not directly by the Venezuelan government, and therefore did not require registration under foreign agent laws.
They also said his work focused on business matters, including helping Citgo operate in the United States, and on encouraging political change in Venezuela.
However, prosecutors pointed to a related civil case alleging Rivera performed little of the contracted work and used the agreement to mask illegal lobbying.
Of the roughly $20 million he received, they said millions were diverted to personal expenses, including maintaining Gorrín’s luxury yacht.
Prosecutors said Rivera viewed Secretary of State Marco Rubio as a key ally for gaining access to senior U.S. officials. Rubio was not accused of any wrongdoing.
Rivera met with Rubio in Washington in 2017 and later encouraged him to support negotiations with Maduro, suggesting the United States should help facilitate a peaceful resolution, according to court records.
The effort ultimately failed.
Rubio’s March 24 appearance was historically notable—marking the first time a sitting Cabinet member has testified in a criminal trial since 1983.
On Jan. 3, 2026, U.S. forces captured Maduro and brought him and his wife to the United States to face trial on narco-terrorism and other charges.
