Former Republican U.S. Representative David Rivera of Florida was sentenced on Friday to 10 years in federal prison. The sentencing, handed down by U.S. District Judge Melissa Damian in Miami, follows his conviction on charges tied to foreign lobbying and money laundering. These charges specifically relate to an unregistered influence campaign on behalf of a Venezuelan state oil affiliate.
Rivera, 61, received a 120-month sentence on five counts and 60 months on two additional counts, with all sentences running concurrently. Beyond the prison term, he was ordered to serve one year of supervised release. While no fine was imposed, Rivera must pay a mandatory $700 special assessment. He has remained in federal custody since a jury delivered its guilty verdict in May 2026, concluding a seven-week trial. His legal team has indicated plans to appeal the conviction and applied for a presidential pardon in June.
The criminal proceedings focused on a March 2017 consulting agreement between Rivera's company, Interamerican Consulting, and PDV USA. PDV USA is a U.S. affiliate of Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA), Venezuela's state-owned oil company. The consulting agreement was valued at $50 million for approximately three months of work. According to prosecutors, Rivera's firm ultimately received $20 million through four separate payments, each totaling $5 million. Three of these payments reportedly originated from PDV USA in March and April 2017, while a fourth payment allegedly came from PDVSA via Russia's Gazprom Bank in October 2017.
Federal prosecutors argued that Rivera and his co-defendant, political consultant Esther Nuhfer, utilized this arrangement to lobby American government officials throughout 2017 and 2018. They did so without registering under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), a federal law requiring individuals lobbying on behalf of foreign principals to register with the Department of Justice. The government's case asserted that then-Venezuelan Foreign Minister Delcy Rodríguez sought their assistance in lobbying the first Trump administration and members of Congress. The alleged objective was to ease U.S. sanctions against Venezuela and encourage a move toward normalized relations with the government of Nicolás Maduro.
Evidence presented during the trial included outreach to prominent U.S. lawmakers. Among those contacted were then-Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican from Florida, and Representative Pete Sessions, a Republican from Texas. Senator Rubio and Rivera had a long-standing friendship and were former housemates. Both Rubio and Sessions testified during the trial, stating they were unaware of Rivera's oil-company consulting agreement or its nature.
The federal jury in Miami convicted Rivera and Nuhfer on all counts. These charges included conspiracy related to the Foreign Agents Registration Act, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and charges involving transactions with proceeds from unlawful activity. Prosecutors accused Rivera and Nuhfer of actively attempting to conceal their work. The government presented evidence of backdated documents, sham agreements, and encrypted communications using code names to discuss officials and payments. Prosecutors contended that public disclosure of Rivera's work would have conflicted with his established public reputation as an opponent of the Venezuelan and Cuban governments.
Rivera's defense attorneys disputed the prosecution's characterization of the agreement. They argued that Rivera's work primarily involved legitimate commercial efforts aimed at facilitating ExxonMobil's return to Venezuela, an activity they maintained would generally be exempt from FARA registration requirements. The defense also asserted that Rivera's meetings with U.S. officials were intended to promote political change within Venezuela, rather than to support the Maduro government. They further argued that the underlying activity would have been lawful if Rivera had simply filed the required FARA paperwork.
However, Judge Damian rejected the defense's characterization during sentencing. She stated that the money originated from the Maduro government and described Rivera's conduct as involving financial gain and deliberate concealment from his own political allies.
Rivera previously served as a Republican member of the Florida House of Representatives from 2002 to 2010. He then represented Florida’s 25th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011 until 2013. His federal conviction now sends the former congressman to prison for a decade. Meanwhile, his co-defendant, Esther Nuhfer, was sentenced in August to five years in prison for her role in the scheme. Despite the current sentencing, Rivera's legal team has made it clear that the case is not concluded, with an appeal anticipated. Additionally, a separate foreign-lobbying case involving Rivera remains pending in Washington, D.C., indicating ongoing legal challenges for the former lawmaker.
