Former GOP congressman and longtime Rubio friend sentenced to 10 years for secret Venezuela lobbying

CNN · PBS NewsHour and PBS NewsHour report that David Rivera, a former Republican congressman from Miami, received a 10-year prison term Friday for a covert $50 million lobbying effort on behalf of Venezuela during President Donald Trump's first term. Rivera, 61, a longtime friend of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, has been in jail since jurors convicted him in May of money laundering conspiracy and of not registering as a foreign agent for Nicolás Maduro's government. Judge Melissa Damian said there was no dispute the money came from the Maduro government.

Prosecutors said Rivera and consultant Esther Nuhfer, working for Foreign Minister Delcy Rodríguez, courted friends such as Rubio and Rep. Pete Sessions while hiding the work, and that a PDV USA contract served as cover. Defense attorney Ed Shohat argued the contract concerned luring ExxonMobil back to Venezuela and was exempt from registration. PBS NewsHour adds that Nuhfer got five years, that Rivera tearfully pleaded for leniency, and that a ruling on a $20 million forfeiture request is pending. CNN · PBS NewsHour notes that Rivera has applied for a pardon.

Summarized by PolitiKool from CNN · PBS NewsHour and PBS NewsHour’s reporting. Read the full story at CNN · PBS NewsHour → Also at PBS NewsHour →