Former US congressman sentenced to 10 years in prison for secretly lobbying for Venezuela

Prosecutors with the Miami US Attorney's Office said Rivera acted on behalf of a "hostile foreign government" and was paid $20 million by the US subsidiary of Venezuela's state oil company.

Former US Congressman David Rivera was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Friday for illegally lobbying US officials to ease pressure on ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government.

Rivera, a Republican who represented southern Florida in the US House of Representatives from 2011 to 2013, was convicted at trial in May of lobbying US officials on Venezuela's behalf in 2017 without registering as a foreign lobbyist as required by the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

US District Judge Melissa Damian handed down the sentence at a hearing in federal court in Miami.

Prosecutors with the Miami US Attorney's Office had urged Damian to impose a "significant term of incarceration." They said Rivera acted on behalf of a "hostile foreign government" and was paid $20 million by the US subsidiary of Venezuela's state oil company.

Rivera pleaded not guilty to charges

Rivera, 61, pleaded not guilty, and his lawyers said he should be spared prison time. They argued he had been working to help Venezuela's opposition remove Maduro from power, not benefit his government.

Rivera was charged in 2022, during former US president Joe Biden's administration, and defense lawyers noted that US President Donald Trump has deemphasized FARA cases since taking office in January 2025.