Former Congressman David Rivera Convicted in Foreign Lobbying Scheme
A federal jury in Miami convicted former U.S. Representative David Rivera (R-Fla.) and political consultant Esther Nuhfer on all charges Friday, including conspiracy to act as an unregistered foreign agent, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and tax evasion. Judge Melissa Damian presided over the verdict.
The verdict caps a five-week trial that featured testimony from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and revealed a covert operation using code words like "bus driver" for the Venezuelan president.
Charges and Contract
The convictions stem from a $50 million contract over three months between the defendants and PDV USA, a U.S.-based affiliate of Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA. The contract involved lobbying U.S. officials to ease sanctions on Venezuela under President Nicolás Maduro. Rivera and Nuhfer did not register with the U.S. Justice Department as foreign agents for this work.
Trial Testimony
The trial included testimony from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas), and a Washington lobbyist. Rubio testified that Rivera told him in 2017 he was working on a plan to convince Maduro to step down. Rubio later delivered a Senate floor speech indicating the U.S. would not retaliate against Venezuelan government insiders who worked to remove Maduro.
Prosecutors alleged Rivera arranged meetings for then-Foreign Minister Delcy Rodríguez (now acting president of Venezuela) in 2017 to garner U.S. political support for normalized relations.
The government presented evidence that Rivera and Nuhfer:
- Used encrypted communications, including a group chat named "MIA"
- Employed code words: Maduro was referred to as "bus driver," Rep. Pete Sessions as "Sombrero," and payments as "melons"
Witnesses Rubio, Sessions, and a lobbyist stated they were unaware of Rivera's contract.
Defense Arguments
Rivera denied wrongdoing. His attorneys argued his work was legitimate commercial or democracy-promotion efforts, and that he believed the work was commercial and thus exempt from registration. Defense attorney Ed Shohat claimed Rivera was working to remove Maduro, not normalize relations. Nuhfer's attorney David Oscar Markus said his client had no ill intent.
Sentencing and Additional Charges
After the conviction, Judge Melissa Damian ordered Rivera taken into custody, citing him as a flight risk due to access to funds, the potential for a long sentence, and pending charges in Washington, D.C. Nuhfer was also convicted.
"The defendants sold access to a hostile foreign regime for money," said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones after the verdict.
Prosecutor Roger Cruz argued that the defendants hid their work to protect Rivera's political career.