Former GOP Rep. David Rivera sentenced to 10 years for secret Venezuela lobbying
David Rivera, a former Republican congressman from Miami, was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison for concealing a $50 million effort to influence U.S. policy on Venezuela during Donald Trump’s first administration. He has been jailed since a jury convicted him in May.
Prosecutors said Venezuela’s then-foreign minister, Delcy Rodríguez, enlisted Rivera to encourage the administration to normalize relations. Rivera and political consultant Esther Nuhfer used connections including Marco Rubio and Pete Sessions, prosecutors said, without disclosing the lobbying arrangement.
The trial shed light on foreign efforts to shape U.S. policy toward Latin America. Rubio, Sessions and a Washington lobbyist testified that Rivera had not told them about his consulting contract with a U.S. affiliate of Venezuela’s state oil company, PDVSA.
Rivera’s lawyers have requested a presidential pardon and plan to appeal. He also faces a separate foreign-lobbying case in Washington, while the judge has yet to decide whether he must forfeit $20 million. Nuhfer was sentenced to five years.
Key points
- Rivera received a 10-year sentence after his conviction on money-laundering conspiracy and foreign-agent registration charges.
- Prosecutors said Rivera used political connections to promote better U.S. relations with Venezuela for Delcy Rodríguez.
- Rivera seeks a pardon and plans to appeal; a separate case and a $20 million forfeiture request remain unresolved.