A federal jury in Miami on Friday found former Florida Congressman David Rivera and his political consultant, Esther Nuhfer, guilty of conspiracy and multiple violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) for conducting a secret lobbying campaign on behalf of the Venezuelan government.
Rivera, a Republican who served in the state legislature and U.S. House, and Nuhfer were convicted after a five-week trial that exposed a scheme to influence U.S. lawmakers and officials in the first Trump administration without registering as foreign agents. The case highlighted the Justice Department's continued enforcement of FARA, a 1938 law designed to prevent covert foreign interference in American politics.
Multimillion-Dollar Contract to Ease Sanctions
Prosecutors presented evidence that Venezuela's state-owned oil company hired Rivera's consulting firm in 2017 and 2018 to lobby for improved bilateral relations and an end to U.S. sanctions on the South American country. The contract, signed with PDV USA, a U.S. affiliate of the state oil giant, called for payments totaling $50 million, structured as five $5 million installments and one $25 million payment. According to prosecutors, the pair received approximately $20 million before the company terminated the agreement.
Rivera, a longtime friend and former roommate of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, leveraged his political connections. Rubio, Texas Representative Pete Sessions, and a top Washington lobbyist all testified that they were unaware of the consulting contract, underscoring the covert nature of the operation.
Defense Claims Good Faith
Attorneys for Rivera and Nuhfer argued that the pair acted in good faith, believing they were not required to disclose their work because the contract focused on commercial efforts to bring ExxonMobil back to Venezuela—an activity they contended fell outside FARA's scope. However, prosecutors highlighted that Nuhfer had drafted FARA disclosure letters in a private chat with Rivera, which they argued demonstrated awareness of the legal requirements.
The defense maintained that the multimillion-dollar deal was purely commercial and that the pair never intended to hide their activities. Despite these arguments, the jury sided with the government.
No Policy Change Under Trump
Notably, the Trump administration did not ease restrictions on Venezuela during this period. In fact, President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's government within his first six months in office. The verdict underscores the gap between the lobbying efforts and actual policy outcomes.
U.S. District Judge Melissa Damian ordered Rivera taken into custody immediately after the verdict, citing the seriousness of the charges and his significant financial resources as potential flight risks. The judge had previously denied Rivera's request to modify his bond to travel to Miami for personal family reasons. Rivera was first arrested in 2022 and faces additional federal charges in Washington, D.C., in a related foreign lobbying case. He has also been the subject of multiple state and federal investigations into improper campaign dealings over the years.
This conviction adds to a growing list of FARA enforcement actions by the Justice Department, signaling a tougher stance on undisclosed foreign influence. For Rivera, a once-rising figure in Florida politics, the verdict marks a dramatic fall from grace.
