Ex-gop Congressman David Rivera Gets 10 Years for Venezuela Lobbying
WHO:
NY Post - David Rivera, a former Miami congressman and friend of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
CNN - Nicolás Maduro, former Venezuelan President; Delcy Rodríguez, then Foreign Minister and now acting president of Venezuela; Pete Sessions, Texas Congressman; Raúl Gorrín, Venezuelan media tycoon.
WHAT:
CNN - Judge Melissa Damian criticized Rivera for betraying his life's mission, stating, “Nobody would accept that’s ok and I don’t think this is different.”
CNN - Rivera's attorneys argued that he believed he was under no requirement to disclose his lobbying work, claiming it was focused on luring ExxonMobil back to Venezuela.
CNN - Rivera's defense attorney, Ed Shohat, stated, “David Rivera does not deserve to die in prison because he failed to file a FARA registration.”
CNN - Prosecutors described Rivera's actions as a “classic money laundering case” during the sentencing.
CNN - Rivera and his associates allegedly backdated documents and created sham agreements to justify a wire transfer of $3.75 million.
NY Post - David Rivera was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
CNN - Rivera was found guilty of failing to register as a foreign agent and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
CNN - Rivera was involved in a secret $50 million lobbying campaign for Venezuela during Trump’s first administration.
CNN - Rivera faces additional federal charges in Washington, DC, in a related foreign lobbying case.
CNN - Rivera's attorneys plan to appeal the conviction and have applied for a presidential pardon.
WHERE:
CNN - The trial and sentencing took place in Miami, Florida.
WHEN:
CNN - Rivera was found guilty in May.
CNN - The indictment against Rivera was unsealed in 2022.
WHY:
CNN - Rivera was allegedly hired by Delcy Rodríguez to leverage Republican connections to influence the Trump administration's stance on Venezuela.
CNN - Prosecutors argued that Rivera's actions betrayed the trust placed in him as a public official.
HOW:
CNN - Rivera and Nuhfer used playful code words in their communications, referring to Maduro as the “bus driver” and Rubio as “Miss Clairol.”
CNN - Rivera and a co-defendant set up an encrypted chat group called MIA to communicate about their lobbying activities.
CNN - Rivera allegedly used a contract with PDV USA as a cover for illegal lobbying activities.
CNN - Rivera and Nuhfer manipulated influential friends to normalize relations with the Trump administration while the Maduro government faced sanctions.
CNN - Rivera and his associates used code words in their communications to disguise their activities.
(UPDATED October 3, 2026 17:16 UTC)
In a recent court hearing, Judge Melissa Damian criticized David Rivera for betraying his life's mission, emphasizing that his actions were unacceptable. Rivera's attorneys argued that he believed he was not required to disclose his lobbying work, which they claimed was aimed at enticing ExxonMobil back to Venezuela, while prosecutors labeled his actions as a classic money laundering case. During the proceedings, Rivera and his associates were accused of backdating documents and creating fake agreements to justify a wire transfer of $3.75 million, with playful code words used in their communications referring to Maduro as the “bus driver” and Rubio as “Miss Clairol.”
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(UPDATED October 3, 2026 16:26 UTC)
David Rivera, a former Miami congressman and associate of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, has been sentenced to ten years in prison after being found guilty of failing to register as a foreign agent and conspiracy to commit money laundering. His conviction stems from a secret $50 million lobbying campaign for Venezuela during Trump’s first administration, where he allegedly worked to influence U.S. policy on behalf of Nicolás Maduro's government. Rivera's attorneys plan to appeal the conviction and have sought a presidential pardon while he faces additional federal charges in Washington, D.C., related to the same foreign lobbying case.