US EditionFormer Miami congressman David Rivera convicted in case on secret Venezuela lobbying
Jurors found Rivera and Esther Nuhfer guilty on foreign-agent and money-laundering counts after a seven-week trial, with sentencing expected in the coming months.
- On Friday, May 1, 2026, a federal jury in Miami convicted former Congressman David Rivera on all counts for his involvement in a clandestine $50 million lobbying campaign on behalf of the Venezuelan government.
- Jurors found the former Republican representative and his associate, Esther Nuhfer, guilty of failing to register as foreign agents and conspiracy to commit money laundering for work done on behalf of Nicolás Maduro's administration.
- The seven-week trial revealed how Rivera used a $50 million contract with a U.S. subsidiary of Venezuela’s state oil company to funnel payments and manipulate high-profile political connections, including his longtime friend, current U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
- During his testimony, Secretary Rubio stated he was "shocked" to learn that his meetings with Rivera regarding Venezuela in 2017 were part of a paid consulting agreement with the Maduro regime.
112 Articles
112 Articles
Venezuelan state oil paid David Rivera $50 million to influence the U.S. government in a secret lobby scheme that contradicts his image as a fervorous anti-communist.
David Rivera, who held a seat in the federal House of Representatives between 2011 and 2013 by the Republican Party, was found guilty by a federal jury in Miami of six crimes linked to an undercover lobbying operation that benefited the regime of Nicolás Maduro between 2017 and 2018. The charges for which he was convicted include conspiracy, money laundering and the fact that he operated as a foreign agent without having registered as such. His …
Ex-U.S. lawmaker convicted of lobbying for Venezuela
An ex-U.S. lawmaker was convicted of corruption charges Friday in what prosecutors described as a secret lobbying campaign for Venezuela, with the trial featuring testimony by a former close friend, Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
NEWS HEADLINES: Federal Jury Convicts Former House Republican Of Secretly Lobbying U.S. Officials For Venezuelan Government * 100PercentFedUp.com * by Danielle
A federal jury convicted former Rep. David Rivera (R-FL) on all counts in connection to a $50 million contract to secretly lobby U.S. officials on behalf of the Venezuelan government in 2017 and 2018. Jurors found Rivera and an associate, Esther Nuhfer, guilty of “failing to register as a foreign agent with the Justice Department and conspiracy to commit money laundering as part of their work for former President Nicolás Maduro’s government,” th…
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