MIAMI — Former U.S. Congressman David Rivera was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for secretly acting as an unregistered agent of Venezuela’s government and laundering money tied to that work, the Justice Department said.
U.S. District Judge Melissa Damian imposed the sentence October 2 in Miami. Rivera, 61, was convicted by a federal jury of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), violating FARA, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and four counts of engaging in transactions in criminally derived property.
The FBI’s Miami field office highlighted the case on Tuesday.
The scheme
Prosecutors say Rivera and political consultant Esther Nuhfer obtained a $50 million contract with a subsidiary of Venezuela’s state oil company PDVSA.
The aim was to advance the interests of Nicolás Maduro’s government without registering as foreign agents. Prosecutors say they lobbied U.S. officials, including then-Senator Marco Rubio and Representative Pete Sessions, and arranged meetings with Venezuelan leaders, including Maduro.
The Justice Department says Rivera deposited about $1.5 million from the contract into his Florida state congressional campaign account between March 2017 and August 2018.
Nuhfer used roughly $455,000 to buy a home in Key Colony Beach. She was previously sentenced to 60 months, the department said.
The case also involved a $3.75 million wire transfer to cover yacht maintenance, and that Rivera faced up to $20 million in asset forfeiture.
Defense & Prosecution
According to CBS Miami, Rivera’s lawyers argued he acted in good faith. They said the work was commercial, aimed at bringing ExxonMobil back to Venezuela, and exempt from foreign-agent registration. They also said his meetings with lawmakers were meant to help replace Maduro.
U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones said: “He sold his reputation to communists to fill his greed.”
FBI Miami Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles called the sentencing “a meaningful step toward restoring public trust in the integrity of our democratic processes.”
The case was investigated by the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation.
