Former Republican Congressman Convicted of Secretly Lobbying for Venezuela

MIAMI — Former Miami Congressman David Rivera was convicted on Friday of conspiracy and five other crimes for secretly lobbying for the Venezuelan government. A federal jury found Rivera and an associate guilty on all counts, including failing to register as foreign agents and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

The conviction stems from a $50 million contract awarded to Rivera's consulting firm in 2017 by the U.S. subsidiary of Venezuela's state-run oil company. Prosecutors alleged that Rivera and Esther Nuhfer used their political connections, including with then-Senator Marco Rubio and Congressman Pete Sessions, to lobby for more favorable U.S.-Venezuela relations while hiding the source of their payments.

Judge Melissa Damian ordered Rivera taken into custody, citing him as a flight risk due to his access to funds and the potential for a long prison sentence. Rivera and Nuhfer face several years in prison and a potential $20 million forfeiture judgment representing the proceeds from the lobbying contract.

Rubio, now U.S. Secretary of State, testified that he was unaware of Rivera's secret contract with Venezuela and was not implicated in any wrongdoing. Other witnesses, including Texas Congressman Pete Sessions and lobbyist Brian Ballard, testified they were unaware of the consulting arrangement.

Defense attorneys argued that Rivera's work was focused on luring ExxonMobil back to Venezuela—a commercial activity exempt from registration—and that his meetings with politicians were aimed at removing former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from power, not normalizing relations.