Former GOP congressman David Rivera is sentenced to 10 years for secretly lobbying for Venezuela's Maduro regime

From the Newshound archive · first published 3 October 2026.

David Rivera, a 61-year-old former Florida Republican congressman and close friend of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison for orchestrating a covert $50 million lobbying effort on behalf of Nicolás Maduro's Venezuelan government. Judge Melissa Damian told Rivera he had betrayed his life's mission, with Rubio himself among those who testified he felt betrayed on learning of the scheme. Rivera's lawyers have already applied for a presidential pardon and plan to appeal.

Rivera's May conviction covered every charge against him, including failure to register as a foreign agent and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

The operation was allegedly designed to persuade the first Trump administration into lifting its sanctions on Venezuela — Rivera was reportedly recruited into the scheme by Delcy Rodríguez, now Venezuela's acting president.

Rivera faces further federal charges in Washington in a separate foreign lobbying case, meaning his legal troubles are far from over.