Former Republican Rep. David Rivera sentenced to 10 years in prison for secret lobbying in Venezuela

MIAMI (AP) — A former Republican congressman and longtime friend of Secretary of State Marco Rubio was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison for concealing a $50 million lobbying campaign for Venezuela during the first Trump administration.

David Rivera, of Miami, has been imprisoned since his conviction in May for conspiracy to commit money laundering and failure to register as a foreign agent of Nicolas Maduro’s government.

Rivera, 61, appeared impassive as Judge Melissa Damian denounced him for betraying his life’s mission. His many friends in Miami would surely judge him harshly if the millions of dollars came from the Cuban communist regime rather than his allies in Caracas, she said.

“No one would accept that this is acceptable and I don’t think it’s any different,” the judge said. “There is no doubt that this money comes from the Maduro regime.”

The case offers a rare glimpse into foreign influence campaigns aimed at shaping U.S. policy toward Latin America, underscoring Miami’s reputation as a magnet for both anti-communist crusaders and corruption among its large exile population.

READ MORE: Former Congressman David Rivera Sentenced in Venezuela Secret Lobbying Case

President Donald Trump’s secretary of state, Rep. Pete Sessions of Texas and a top Washington lobbyist all testified, saying Rivera never mentioned his mammoth consulting contract with a U.S.-based subsidiary of Venezuela’s state oil company, PDVSA.

Rivera was indicted in 2022, during the administration of President Joe Biden. Accusations of illegal foreign lobbying have dropped since Trump returned to the White House. Rivera’s lawyers have requested a presidential pardon and plan to appeal while defending him in a foreign lobbying case in Washington, DC. Damian’s decision on the government’s request that Rivera forfeit $20 million in criminal proceeds is still pending.

Prosecutors described how Rivera worked with GOP connections for Delcy Rodríguez

Rivera was tapped by Maduro’s foreign minister, Delcy Rodríguez – now Venezuela’s interim president – ​​to get the first Trump administration to normalize relations.

As part of the charm offensive, Rivera and a co-defendant, political consultant Esther Nuhfer, sought to manipulate influential friends, including Rubio and Sessions. But they failed to disclose the lobbying as required, fearing it would ruin Rivera’s reputation as an anti-communist stalwart, prosecutors argued at trial. Nuhfer was sentenced to five years in prison.

READ MORE: Trump ally testifies at trial over secret Venezuela lobbying effort

“The United States and the public were the real victims of this fraud,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger Cruz. “He used his position of trust – and betrayed it consistently and repeatedly.”

Rivera denied being a two-faced crook. In a moving 20-minute speech, he retraced his life’s journey, from his fatherless childhood in an immigrant neighborhood in Miami to the halls of Congress – always “fighting for the right cause,” he said. Choking back tears, he asked for leniency, telling the judge it amounted to a “death sentence” because of his age and the lingering aftereffects of a battle with prostate cancer.

Prosecutors said the betrayal involved coded numbers – “Sombrero” and “Miss Clairol”

Trial evidence showed how Rivera created an encrypted chat group called MIA – for Miami – with his main conduit to the Maduro government: Venezuelan media mogul Raúl Gorrín, who was later accused in the United States of bribing senior Venezuelan officials.

Members of the group used playful code words: Maduro was the “bus driver,” Sessions “Sombrero,” Rodríguez “The Lady in Red” and their exceptional payments “La Luz,” Spanish for “The Light,” according to copies of text messages presented to the jury. Rubio was known as “Miss Clairol”, because rubio means blonde in Spanish.

Rivera’s lawyers argued again Friday that the former congressman believed he was under no disclosure obligation. They said the three-month, $50 million contract with Rivera’s one-man consulting firm was aimed at attracting oil giant ExxonMobil to Venezuela – commercial work that is generally exempt from the foreign agents registration law.

“David Rivera does not deserve to die in prison because he failed to register with FARA,” said defense attorney Ed Shohat.

The judge categorically disagreed. “This is a serious offense. It’s not about not filing a piece of paper.”

Defense attorneys said Rivera’s meetings with Rubio and Sessions were entirely separate from that counseling work. They aimed to establish less hostile leadership in Venezuela, much like the Rodríguez government that took power after the United States ousted Maduro in January.

Where did the money go? A luxury yacht, among other things

Prosecutors said Rivera used the contract with the Venezuelan oil giant’s New York-based subsidiary, PDV USA, as a cover for illegal lobbying, and tried to hide it by backdating documents and creating false agreements, such as one to justify a $3.75 million wire transfer to a South Florida company that services Gorrín’s luxury yacht.

READ MORE: Rubio to Testify in Trial of Former Congressman Accused of Secret Lobbying for Venezuela

While arranging meetings for Rodríguez in New York, Caracas, Washington and Dallas, Rivera attended Sessions, who then attempted to arrange a meeting for Rodríguez with the ExxonMobil executive who took over as CEO when Rex Tillerson became Trump’s first term secretary of state.

However, awareness quickly collapsed. Six months after taking office, Trump sanctioned Maduro and called him a “dictator,” launching a “maximum pressure” campaign to oust the president.

Rubio’s former roommate already faced scandal, but Cuban Americans support him

Before serving in Congress from 2011 to 2013, Rivera was a high-ranking Florida lawmaker and shared a home in Tallahassee with Rubio, who eventually became speaker of the Florida House.

Rivera has faced previous controversy, including allegations that he secretly bankrolled a Democratic candidate spoiler during a 2012 congressional race — a case that federal prosecutors ultimately dropped after a large fine was thrown out on appeal. Rivera was also investigated — but never charged — for alleged campaign finance violations and a $1 million contract with a gambling company while serving in the Florida Legislature.

Despite all this, Rivera continues to enjoy support from Miami’s Cuban-American establishment and power circles beyond.

Friends of the former congressman, including the former president of Florida International University and Miami-Dade County elections supervisor, filled the courtroom to show their support. Sessions also sent a letter asking for clemency, calling his former congressional colleague a dedicated defender of democracy.

Jason Reding Quiñones, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida, is also Cuban-American and said he couldn’t explain why some in Miami still support Rivera.

“He sold his anti-communism to the communists to satisfy his greed,” Reding Quiñones said at a press conference after the sentencing.