Jury Convicts Florida Ex-Rep. David Rivera in Conspiracy Trial – Image for illustrative purposes only (Image credits: Unsplash)
Miami – A federal jury delivered guilty verdicts against former U.S. Representative David Rivera and his associate Esther Nuhfer on Friday, capping a seven-week trial over their undisclosed work for Venezuela’s government.[1][2] Prosecutors portrayed the pair as operatives who used a lucrative oil company contract as cover to sway U.S. policy during the first Trump administration. The convictions highlight ongoing concerns about foreign influence in American politics, particularly in South Florida’s Venezuelan exile community.
The $50 Million Contract at the Center
Rivera’s one-man firm, Interamerican Consulting, signed a three-month deal worth $50 million in March 2017 with PDV USA, the New York-based affiliate of Venezuela’s state-owned oil giant PDVSA.[1] The agreement called for efforts to attract ExxonMobil back to Venezuelan operations and boost Citgo’s U.S. refinery business. Payments flowed quickly, totaling about $20 million before the company ended the contract over insufficient work.
Prosecutors argued this arrangement masked political lobbying on behalf of Nicolás Maduro’s regime. Encrypted messages revealed code words like “melons” for millions of dollars and “La Luz” for funds from Caracas. The secrecy stemmed from fears that disclosure would ruin Rivera’s reputation as an anti-communist figure among Miami’s Cuban-American voters.[1]
Efforts to Influence Key U.S. Figures
Rivera and Nuhfer allegedly treated politicians like “pawns on a chessboard” to soften Trump’s hard line on Venezuela. They arranged meetings for Venezuelan Foreign Minister Delcy Rodríguez in New York, Washington, and Dallas. Texas Congressman Pete Sessions helped broker a session with ExxonMobil’s CEO and carried a letter from Maduro to President Trump.[1]
The pair created an encrypted “MIA” chat group with sanctioned media tycoon Raúl Gorrín. Discussions covered manipulating figures such as Sessions, code-named “Sombrero,” and Rodríguez, “The Lady in Red.” A $3.75 million wire transfer went to a South Florida firm maintaining Gorrín’s yacht, part of efforts to launder and conceal proceeds.[1]
Key Testimony Shapes the Case
Witnesses included Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Congressman Pete Sessions, both longtime associates of Rivera who expressed surprise upon learning of the PDV USA deal. Rubio, who once shared a home with Rivera in Tallahassee, testified he remained unaware of the contract during a 2017 meeting on Venezuela.[1] A top Washington lobbyist also took the stand.
Miami businessman Hugo Perera, a star prosecution witness, detailed earning nearly $5 million for introductions that led to the contract. Defense attorneys grilled him over backdated documents and past convictions for cocaine trafficking and tax fraud. Prosecutors rested their case after presenting text messages and financial records that exposed the operation’s clandestine nature.[3]
“As long as the money kept coming in, they didn’t care from where.”
– Prosecutor Roger Cruz[1]
Defense Claims and Verdict Fallout
Rivera’s attorney Ed Shohat insisted his client pursued every angle to oust Maduro and foster democratic elections in Venezuela. Nuhfer’s lawyer David Oscar Markus compared the prosecution to the Salem witch trials, arguing the evidence presumed guilt without proof of a “dark heart.”[1] The defense maintained the contract qualified as exempt commercial work under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
The jury rejected those arguments, finding both defendants guilty on all counts from an 11-count indictment, including conspiracy to commit money laundering and failure to register as foreign agents. Sentencing dates remain pending, but the convictions carry potential for lengthy prison terms. Rivera’s history of scandals, from 2012 campaign finance probes to uncharged investigations, now culminates in this federal rebuke.[1]
This outcome underscores the risks of unregistered foreign influence amid U.S. sanctions on adversarial regimes. As Venezuela navigates shifts under a second Trump term, the case serves as a reminder of Washington’s vigilance over hidden lobbying networks.