Former US congressman sentenced to 10 years in prison for secretly lobbying for Venezuela

Former US Congressman David Rivera was sentenced to 10 years in prison for illegally lobbying US officials on behalf of Venezuela's government without registering as a foreign agent. Rivera, a Republican who served from 2011 to 2013, was convicted in May 2022 for actions in 2017, receiving $20 million from a subsidiary of Venezuela's state oil company. The sentence was handed down in federal court in Miami.

Former US Congressman David Rivera was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Friday for illegally lobbying US officials to ease pressure on ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government. Rivera, a Republican who represented southern Florida in the US House from 2011 to 2013, was convicted at trial in May of lobbying US officials on Venezuela's behalf in 2017 without registering as a foreign lobbyist under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). US District Judge Melissa Damian handed down the sentence in federal court in Miami. Prosecutors with the Miami US Attorney's Office urged a "significant term of incarceration," stating Rivera acted on behalf of a "hostile foreign government" and was paid $20 million by the US subsidiary of Venezuela's state oil company. Rivera, 61, pleaded not guilty; his lawyers argued he was working to help Venezuela's opposition remove Maduro, not benefit his government. Rivera was charged in 2022 during the Biden administration, and defense lawyers noted that President Donald Trump has deemphasized FARA cases since taking office in January 2025.