Former U.S. Representative David Rivera and his associate, Esther Nuhfer, were convicted in connection with a secret $50 million Venezuelan lobbying campaign.
According to the Associated Press (AP), jurors in a Miami federal court found Rivera and Nuhfer guilty on all counts of conspiracy to commit money laundering and tax evasion as part of their work for former Venezuelan Dictator Nicolas Maduro’s government.
Rivera was also convicted of failing to register as a foreign agent of Venezuela with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
According to NBC News, prosecutors accused Rivera and Nuhfer of attempting to arrange meetings in the U.S. for the current interim Venezuelan president, Delcy Rodriguez, in 2017.
Rodriguez served as Venezuela’s Foreign Minister under Maduro’s regime.
In a 2022 indictment, the DOJ stated that the "ultimate goal of these efforts was to garner political support" within the U.S. to normalize relations between the U.S. and Venezuela.
Prosecutors alleged that Rivera manipulated influential friends from his time in Congress, including Secretary Rubio and Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas), per NBC News.
Secretary Rubio's Testimony
Allies of Rivera appeared to be shocked to learn of Rivera’s consulting contract with a U.S.-based affiliate of Venezuela’s state oil company, PDVSA.
“He provided me with insight into some of the key phrases that regime insiders would’ve wanted to hear to know this was serious,” Secretary Rubio testified amid the course of the 5-week trial.
Secretary Rubio also told jurors that he met with Rivera in 2017, informing the then-Senator of a ploy to convince Maduro to step down from office.
Over the course of the trial, Rivera denied any wrongdoing. Rivera’s defense team argued that “his work focused on legitimate commercial anti-communist, or ‘democracy-promotion’ efforts,” according to NBC News.
Despite being out on bond, Judge Melissa Damian has ordered his detention following his conviction. In addition, Rivera is also facing federal charges in Washington, D.C., in a related foreign lobbying case.
