David Rivera sentenced to 10 years for Venezuela lobbying scheme

Former U.S. Representative David Rivera has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for acting as an unregistered foreign agent and laundering money. A federal jury convicted Rivera of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) and money laundering crimes.

Trial evidence revealed that Rivera and consultant Esther Nuhfer secured a $50 million contract with a subsidiary of Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA), Venezuela’s state-controlled oil company. The pair used the funds to lobby U.S. officials and arrange meetings with high-ranking Venezuelan leadership, including President Nicolás Maduro, without the legally required public disclosures.

Prosecutors demonstrated that Rivera moved funds through various accounts to conceal their origin, including depositing approximately $1.5 million into his Florida congressional campaign account and using funds for personal expenses. Nuhfer, who was previously sentenced to five years in prison for her role in the scheme, used roughly $455,000 of the contract proceeds to purchase a residence. Rivera’s defense argued the work was commercial and exempt from disclosure laws, but the court found the activities constituted illegal foreign influence.