MIAMI (AP) 鈥� A former Miami congressman and longtime friend of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was convicted Friday in connection with a secret $50 million lobbying campaign on behalf of Venezuela during the first Trump administration.
Jurors found Republican David Rivera and an associate, Esther Nuhfer, guilty on all counts, including failing to register as a foreign agent with the Justice Department and conspiracy to commit money laundering as part of their work for former Venezuelan President Nicol谩s Maduro’s government.
Much as he did throughout the trial, Rivera looked stone-faced as the jury delivered its verdict.
Rivera, 60, had been out on bond, but Judge Melissa Damian ordered him taken into custody, finding that he posed a flight risk because he has access to sizable funds, faces a potentially long prison sentence, and faces additional federal charges in Washington, D.C., in a related foreign lobbying case.
The seven-week trial offered a rare glimpse into Miami’s role as a crossroads for foreign influence campaigns aimed at shaping U.S. policy toward Latin America, one highlighting the city’s reputation as a magnet for corruption and anti-communist crusaders among its sizable exile population.
It included testimony from Rubio, Texas Congressman Pete Sessions and a top Washington lobbyist 鈥� all of whom testified that they were shocked to learn belatedly of Rivera鈥檚 consulting contract with a U.S.-based affiliate of Venezuela鈥檚 state oil company, PDVSA.
鈥淭hese convictions expose a simple truth: the defendants sold access and influence to a hostile foreign regime for money,鈥� said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Qui帽ones. 鈥淚n South Florida, where so many families fled communist oppression, that kind of betrayal carries real weight.鈥�
Attorneys for Rivera said they plan to appeal.
In an , prosecutors alleged that Rivera was tapped by then Foreign Minister Delcy Rodr铆guez 鈥� now Venezuela鈥檚 acting president 鈥� to work Republican connections from Rivera’s time in Congress to get the first Trump administration to abandon its hard-line stance and ease crippling sanctions on Venezuela.
As part of the charm offensive, prosecutors alleged, Rivera and Nuhfer, a political consultant, manipulated influential friends, including Rubio and , like 鈥減awns on a chess board.” The goal: to try and normalize relations with the new Trump administration at a time when the Maduro government was buffeted by serious accusations of human rights violations.
鈥淎s long as the money kept coming in, they didn鈥檛 care from where,鈥� prosecutor Roger Cruz said of the defendants during closing arguments.
鈥楳assive secret鈥� threatened to damage Rivera’s political career
But the two held onto the 鈥渕assive secret鈥� and didn’t disclose their lobbying work as required, for fear it would have ended Rivera’s political career as an anti-communist stalwart, Cruz said.
To hide his work, prosecutors allege, Rivera also set up an encrypted chat group called MIA 鈥� for Miami 鈥� with his main conduit to the Maduro government: Venezuelan media tycoon Ra煤l Gorr铆n, who was subsequently top Venezuelan officials.
Members of the group used playful code words to discuss their activities: Maduro was the 鈥渂us driver,鈥� Sessions 鈥淪ombrero,鈥� Rodr铆guez 鈥淭he Lady in Red,鈥� and millions of dollars 鈥渕elons,鈥� according to copies of text messages presented to the jury.
鈥淚t was all about La Luz,鈥� Cruz said, referring to the Spanish word for light, which Rivera and others repeatedly used to discuss payments from Caracas.
Attorneys for Rivera and Nuhfer said the two acted in good faith and believed they were under no requirement to disclose their work. The three-month, $50 million contract with Rivera’s one-man consulting firm, they say, was focused exclusively on luring oil giant ExxonMobil back to Venezuela 鈥� commercial work that is generally exempt from the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
Wholly distinct from that consulting work, they say, were Rivera’s meetings with Rubio and Sessions, which occurred after the consulting contract had expired and was focused on ushering in leadership in Venezuela that would be less hostile to the U.S.
鈥淗e was working every possible angle to get Nicol谩s Maduro out,鈥� defense attorney Ed Shohat said during closing arguments. 鈥淭here was not a word in the chats about normalizing relations.鈥�
Nuhfer’s attorney, David Oscar Markus, likened the government’s case to the 17th century Salem witch trials, presuming ill intent that was belied by the flimsiest of evidence.
鈥淢y client does not have a dark heart,鈥� he said.
Exxon meetings for Rodr铆guez
Prosecutors said Rivera used the contract with New York-based PDV USA as cover for illegal lobbying.
Once exposed, the partners tried to hide the work 鈥� backdating documents and coming up with sham agreements like one to justify a wire transfer of $3.75 million to a South Florida company that maintained Gorr铆n鈥檚 luxury yacht.
The political activity included setting up meetings for Rodr铆guez in New York, Caracas, Washington and Dallas. As part of the effort, the two roped in Sessions, who later tried to with the CEO of ExxonMobil that had succeeded Trump鈥檚 then-secretary of state, Rex Tillerson. After a with Maduro, Sessions also agreed to deliver a letter from the Venezuelan president to Trump.
The outreach quickly unraveled, however. Within six months of taking office, and labeled him a 鈥渄ictator,鈥� launching a 鈥渕aximum pressure鈥� campaign to unseat the president.
However, nearly a decade later, Rodr铆guez has emerged as the second Trump administration’s after the U.S. military’s ousting of Maduro.
Before being elected to Congress in 2010, Rivera was a high-ranking Florida legislator. During that time, he shared a Tallahassee home with Rubio, who eventually became the Florida House speaker.
Rivera has previously faced controversy, including allegations that he in a 2012 congressional race. Last year, federal prosecutors dropped the case after an appeals court threw out a sizable fine imposed by a lower court. Rivera was also investigated 鈥� but never charged 鈥� for alleged campaign finance violations and a $1 million contract with a gambling company while serving in the Florida Legislature.
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