Former congressman David Rivera, arrested for working as a foreign agent for Venezuela's socialist regime

David Rivera, a former Republican Party congressman from Miami, Florida, was arrested this week on charges of money laundering and representing a foreign government without registering as a foreign agent. The prosecution accuses Rivera of working as a foreign agent for the socialist regime of Venezuela.

According to investigations, the former congressman signed a $50 million consulting contract with dictator Nicolás Maduro’s government. Other charges include conspiring and engaging in illegal financial activities, including money laundering.

The indictment states that Rivera was part of a conspiracy to lobby on behalf of Venezuela to reduce tensions with the United States at the beginning of the Trump administration. The former congressman lobbied in early 2017 to try to resolve a legal dispute with a U.S. oil company and put an end to U.S. sanctions against Venezuela country without registering at any time as a foreign agent.

The indictment cites meetings in Washington, New York and Dallas that Rivera attended or attempted to arrange for allies of President Nicolás Maduro with U.S. lawmakers and a top advisor to former President Donald Trump. To conceal the sensitive nature of his work, prosecutors, according to the indictment dated November 16, allege that Rivera referred to Maduro in chat messages as "The bus driver"; to a congressman as "Sombrero" and to money and millions of dollars as "La luz" (The Light) or "Los melones" (Melons).

Rivera Indictment by mauricio

Links with other senators

Rivera signed a secret consulting contract with the Venezuelan state-owned oil company PDEVSA. The contract was for $50 million. The federal indictment alleges that Rivera received and laundered more than $23 million. Large sums of money have allegedly gone to the consulting firm Esther Nuhfer and other parties not yet identified with first and last names of the prosecution.

Along with Rivera, political consultant Esther Nuhfer is also being charged. Both are accused of using their access to representatives and elected officials to improve Venezuela's standing with the United States, which had imposed strict sanctions against the Maduro government. The indictment includes representatives whose names and positions are not disclosed. One of them without a code name is known in the indictment as "U.S. Senator 1" who was described as a "United States Senator from Florida." Numerous media outlets point to Senator Marco Rubio, known for his fight against the Venezuelan dictatorship and at the same time a friend of former congressman David Rivera.

Prior to being elected to Congress, where he served from 2011 to 2012, Rivera was a senior legislator in Florida, where he held a seat in the House of Representatives from 2003 to 2010. During that time he shared a home in Tallahassee with Marco Rubio, who eventually became Speaker of the Florida House. David Rivera was arrested earlier this week in Atlanta, Georgia.