Former Florida Republican Rep. David Rivera was handed a 10-year federal prison sentence on Friday for his concealed participation in a lucrative lobbying operation benefiting the Venezuelan government during the first Trump administration.
Rivera, who has been held without bond since a Miami jury convicted him in May, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit money laundering and other offenses tied to the $50 million scheme. His close ties to Secretary of State Marco Rubio—the two were once roommates—have drawn additional scrutiny to the case.
The lobbying effort unfolded between 2017 and 2018, when Rivera and consultant Esther Nuhfer quietly advocated on behalf of PDV USA, the American subsidiary of Venezuela's state oil company, targeting U.S. lawmakers and Trump administration officials. Neither man registered as a foreign agent, leading to charges under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).
During the trial, Rubio, Texas Rep. Pete Sessions (R), and a prominent Washington lobbyist all testified that they were unaware of any contract between PDV USA and Rivera's consulting firm. Prosecutors built their case on an 11-page indictment unsealed in 2022, which alleged that Venezuela's then-foreign minister, Delcy Rodríguez, recruited Rivera to persuade the Trump administration to relax sanctions on the Maduro regime.
Trump ultimately declined to ease the restrictions, instead tightening sanctions on Maduro's government within his first six months in office. Rodríguez has been serving as Venezuela's acting president since Maduro's arrest by U.S. authorities in January.
The indictment further claimed that Rivera and Nuhfer signed a contract worth $50 million, structured as five $5 million payments and one $25 million payment. They ultimately received about $20 million after the company terminated the agreement, according to prosecutors.
Rivera's legal team argued that their client acted in good faith and was not obligated to disclose his work under FARA. They applied for a presidential pardon in June and intend to appeal the sentence, the Associated Press reported. Nuhfer was sentenced to five years in prison in August for her role in the illegal lobbying, the Miami Herald noted.
Rivera represented Florida's 25th Congressional District for a single term from 2011 to 2013. In 2021, he was fined $456,000 following multiple state and federal investigations into his involvement in an improper campaign finance scheme. His sentencing adds another chapter to a career marked by legal entanglements, and it underscores the Justice Department's continued focus on enforcing foreign lobbying laws.
