Former U.S. Representative David Rivera sentenced to ten years for secret Venezuelan lobbying
Former U.S. Representative David Rivera was sentenced Friday to ten years in federal prison for secretly lobbying on behalf of the Venezuelan government and laundering millions of dollars tied to the effort.
U.S. District Judge Melissa Damian imposed the term after a federal jury found Rivera guilty in May of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act, conspiracy to commit money laundering and four counts of transactions with criminally derived property.
U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones said the sentence demonstrates that “foreign influence in America cannot operate in the shadows,” adding that the case shows the serious breach of public trust when elected officials use their positions to advance a hostile regime.
The Department of Justice said the scheme revolved around a $50 million contract Rivera and co‑defendant Esther Nuhfer secured with a subsidiary of Venezuela’s state‑owned oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA). The pair allegedly lobbied senior U.S. officials, including then‑Sen. Marco Rubio and Rep. Pete Sessions, to soften the Trump administration’s stance toward the Maduro government.
Evidence presented at trial showed Rivera arranging meetings between U.S. policymakers and senior Venezuelan officials, including President Nicolás Maduro and then‑Foreign Minister Delcy Rodríguez, while using coded text messages to conceal the activity.
According to investigators, Rivera directed $1.5 million from the PDVSA contract to his campaign account between March 2017 and August 2018, a move the court described as a clear abuse of his former congressional influence.
Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of the FBI Miami Field Office said today’s sentencing represents “a meaningful step toward restoring public trust in the integrity of our democratic processes” and highlighted the collaborative effort of federal partners in exposing the scheme.
Rivera, who served one term in the House from 2011 to 2013 representing north Miami, has been jailed since his conviction. He was indicted in 2022 and previously served in the Florida state House of Representatives. The case underscores ongoing concerns about foreign actors seeking to manipulate U.S. policy through undisclosed lobbying and financial fraud.
