Former Florida Congressman Accused of Secretly Lobbying For Maduro's Regime

More than a year after being indicted, former congressman David Rivera is now on trial for allegedly illegally lobbying U.S. officials to ease pressure on Venezuela's government under President Nicolás Maduro, with prosecutors saying he failed to register as a foreign agent, as required under U.S. law.

Rivera, who represented Florida's 25th Congressional District from 2011 to 2013, is accused of signing a $50 million contract in 2017 with a Venezuelan state-linked company to try to influence U.S. policy toward Venezuela. Prosecutors say he was paid about $20 million but did not file the required disclosure under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

Prosecutors told jurors that Rivera and his associate Esther Nuhfer used their political connections, including meetings with officials such as now-Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to advance Venezuela's interests. Rubio is expected to testify at the trial on March 24.

Rivera's lawyers argue he did not have to register under FARA because he was paid by a U.S. affiliate of Venezuela's state oil company, not directly by the Maduro government. Prosecutors counter that the contract was structured to disguise the true nature of the work and that Rivera and Nuhfer deliberately avoided registering so they could meet with U.S. officials without raising alarms.

The charges include failing to register as a foreign agent and conspiracy, and prosecutors say Rivera sought to influence U.S. policy by preventing sanctions against Maduro and other officials.

As reported by Reuters, prosecutors said the trial will also show the role Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela's foreign minister at the time, played in the lobbying attempt. Rivera reportedly arranged a 2017 meeting between Rodríguez and Pete Sessions, a U.S. congressman from Texas, as part of these efforts.

To compensate Rivera, Rodríguez directed Citgo, a U.S. subsidiary of Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA, to sign a consulting contract with a company Rivera owned, prosecutors said.

The 2024 indictment also alleges that Rivera set up shell companies to conceal and promote his activities as part of the lobbying scheme. Prosecutors say he used an encrypted chat group called "MIA" to coordinate with Venezuelan businessman Raúl Gorrín and other associates while keeping the effort hidden.

Rivera's defense says he was pursuing legitimate business interests and advocating for political change in Venezuela, not secretly lobbying for Maduro's government.

Court documents show that Rivera diverted more than half of the $13 million he received from PDV USA to three subcontractors in Miami who were supposed to provide "international strategic consulting services" for the Venezuelan company. The recipients included Gorrín, Nuhfer, and Miami real estate developer Hugo Perera.

As reported by NBC News, Rivera has faced controversy in the past, including allegations that he secretly funded a Democratic spoiler candidate in a 2012 congressional race. Federal prosecutors later dropped that case after an appeals court overturned a large fine. He was also investigated, but never charged, for campaign finance violations and a $1 million contract with a gambling company while serving in Florida's state legislature.