Former Rep. David Rivera (R-Fla.) was found guilty on Friday of secretly lobbying on behalf of Venezuela’s government, following a seven-week federal trial.
Rivera—alongside associate Esther Nuhfer—was convicted on all charges, including failing to register as a foreign agent and conspiring to commit money laundering.
Prosecutors said the pair worked for the government of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro as part of a covert influence campaign.
According to the government’s case, Rivera leveraged his Republican political connections, including ties from his time in Congress, to push U.S. officials to ease their stance toward Venezuela’s socialist leadership.
Prosecutors alleged that Rivera secured a $50 million lobbying deal from Venezuelan official Delcy Rodríguez, with funds connected to the state oil company PDVSA.
As part of the effort, Rivera worked with Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) and others to arrange meetings with U.S. officials and business leaders.
Sessions has not been charged with any wrongdoing.
The case highlighted Miami’s long-standing role as a center of influence in U.S.–Latin America relations, shaped by its large exile community and history of anti-communist activism.
Rivera was first charged in 2022. Prosecutors said he used encrypted communications to conceal his activities, including a messaging group called “MIA.”
One of his key contacts was Venezuelan businessman Raúl Gorrín, who has separately faced U.S. bribery charges.
Messages presented at trial allegedly showed the use of coded language—referring to Maduro as “the bus driver,” Sessions as “Sombrero,” and money as “melons.”
Rivera denied any wrongdoing.
His defense argued that his firm was hired by a U.S.-based subsidiary of Venezuela’s oil company, not directly by the Venezuelan government, and therefore did not require registration under foreign agent laws.
They also said his work focused on business matters, including helping Citgo operate in the United States, and on encouraging political change in Venezuela.
However, prosecutors pointed to a related civil case alleging Rivera performed little of the contracted work and used the agreement to mask illegal lobbying.
Of the roughly $20 million he received, they said millions were diverted to personal expenses, including maintaining Gorrín’s luxury yacht.
Prosecutors said Rivera viewed Secretary of State Marco Rubio as a key ally for gaining access to senior U.S. officials. Rubio was not accused of any misconduct.
Court records showed Rivera met with Rubio in Washington in 2017 and later encouraged him to support negotiations with Maduro, suggesting the United States should help facilitate a peaceful resolution.
The effort ultimately failed.
That same year, President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on Maduro, labeling him a “dictator” and pursuing a hardline policy. Rubio later publicly backed that approach.
Rubio’s March 24 appearance was historically notable—marking the first time a sitting Cabinet member has testified in a criminal trial since 1983.
Testifying in a tightly secured courtroom in Miami, Rubio described a long-standing and close relationship with Rivera that began during their time in the Florida Legislature in the early 2000s.
Their friendship carried on in Washington—Rubio in the Senate and Rivera in the House—and extended into shared social circles and family gatherings.
Rubio recounted a key moment in July 2017, when Rivera urgently sought a meeting to discuss Venezuela.
The next morning, Rivera traveled to Washington and met Rubio at his home, saying he was working with Gorrín on a plan to convince Maduro to step down.
Rubio told the court he was skeptical, describing Maduro’s government as filled with “double-dealers” prone to questionable proposals, though he remained willing to hear him out.
“But if there was even a 1 percent chance it was real—and I could help alert the White House—I was open to it,” Rubio testified.
Within days, Rubio used talking points provided by Rivera to deliver a Senate floor speech signaling that the United States would not retaliate against Venezuelan officials who helped remove Maduro from power.
“He gave me a sense of the kind of language regime insiders needed to hear,” Rubio said. “No vengeance, no retribution.”
On Jan. 3, 2026, U.S. forces captured Maduro and brought him, along with his wife, to the United States to face trial on narco-terrorism and other charges.