A sentencing hearing is scheduled Friday for former Miami congressman David Rivera.
Rivera was convicted back in May 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 President Nicolás Maduro’s government.
Federal officials announced they will hold news conference after Rivera’s sentencing hearing. U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida; Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of the FBI Miami Field Office; and Acting Special Agent in Charge Charles E. Miller of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Florida Field Office will take part in the news conference scheduled for 1 p.m.
The trial against Rivera 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.
In an 11-count indictment unsealed in 2022, prosecutors alleged that Rivera was tapped by then Foreign Minister Delcy Rodríguez — now Venezuela’s acting president — 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.