Ex-GOP Rep. David Rivera convicted of secretly lobbying U.S. officials on behalf of Venezuela
NBC News • • general
Key Points:
- Former Rep. David Rivera, R-Fla., was found guilty on all federal charges related to secretly lobbying U.S. officials to ease sanctions on Venezuela under Nicolás Maduro's regime, involving a $50 million contract.
- Rivera was convicted of acting as an unregistered agent for Venezuela, conspiring to commit money laundering, and tax evasion, alongside associate Esther Nuhfer after a five-week trial in Miami.
- Prosecutors alleged Rivera attempted to arrange U.S. meetings for then-Venezuelan Foreign Minister Delcy Rodríguez in 2017 to gain political support for normalizing U.S.-Venezuela relations.
- Testimonies from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Rep. Pete Sessions revealed they were unaware of Rivera's consulting contract with a Venezuelan state oil affiliate and highlighted Rivera's manipulation of influential contacts.
- Rivera denied wrongdoing, with his defense claiming his activities were legitimate commercial or democracy-promotion efforts, but the jury rejected these arguments in their verdict.
