David Rivera, Florida
David Rivera represented Florida's 25th Congressional District from 2011 to 2013; he was indicted on 2024.

Former U.S. Rep. David Rivera, once one of Miami's best-known Cuban American Republican politicians and a longtime ally of Marco Rubio, was convicted Friday in federal court in Miami for his role in a secret $50 million lobbying campaign tied to Venezuela's government during the first Trump administration.

A federal jury found Rivera and his associate, Esther Nuhfer, guilty on all counts, including failing to register as foreign agents and conspiracy to commit money laundering, according to The Associated Press. Prosecutors said the pair worked on behalf of Nicolás Maduro's government while hiding the true source and purpose of their efforts.

Rivera stood "stone-faced" as the verdict was read. Afterward, the judge ordered him taken into custody, citing concerns that he could flee because of his access to money and possible exposure to additional charges.

The conviction marked a dramatic fall for Rivera, 59, who represented South Florida in Congress from 2011 to 2013 after nearly a decade in the Florida Legislature. Before his legal troubles overtook his political career, Rivera was part of the powerful Miami Republican network that shaped Florida politics for years, particularly among Cuban American conservatives who built careers on hard-line opposition to communist and socialist governments in Latin America.

That is what made the case so politically explosive. Prosecutors said Rivera, a politician who had publicly positioned himself against leftist regimes, secretly accepted money connected to Venezuela's state oil interests to influence U.S. policy in favor of Maduro's government. He was accused of receiving $20 million from a $50 million contract with a U.S. subsidiary of Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA.

Rivera's defense insisted the work was not for Maduro's benefit. His lawyers argued that the contract involved commercial issues, including disputes tied to PDV USA, and that Rivera's contacts with U.S. officials were aimed at supporting Venezuela's opposition or helping create a path for Maduro to leave power, not at normalizing relations with him. Prosecutors rejected that argument, saying Rivera used his access to Washington while concealing his foreign ties.

The trial also revived Rivera's long relationship with Rubio, now the Secretary of State. The two men rose through Florida politics together, served in Tallahassee, and were once close enough to be described as political partners and friends. Vanity Fair described Rivera as Rubio's former roommate and political sidekick, writing that he had been seen as the "Robin" to Rubio's "Batman" in Florida Republican politics.

Rubio's appearance at the trial was one of the most closely watched moments of the case. He testified that he did not know Rivera was lobbying for Maduro when his friend approached him in 2017 about Venezuela. Rubio told jurors he would have been "shocked" had he known of Rivera's ties to the Venezuelan-backed effort.

Rubio also described a meeting with Venezuelan media mogul Raúl Gorrín and a supposed proposal for Maduro to leave power. But the effort fell apart quickly. Rubio testified that the meeting was "a total waste of my time," and CBS News reported that he added, "I was frankly angry. It just didn't make any sense."

For prosecutors, Rubio's testimony helped show how Rivera allegedly used personal relationships in Washington without disclosing who was paying him. Evidence presented at trial included encrypted messages, alleged code names and efforts to reach key Republican figures. AP reported that "bus driver" was used as a code name for Maduro, while prosecutors argued Rivera and Nuhfer tried to manipulate political figures, including Rubio and Rep. Pete Sessions, without revealing their foreign ties.

Rivera's political biography had already been complicated before the Venezuela case. He won a South Florida congressional seat in the 2010 Republican wave but lost it after one term. His career was later shadowed by campaign finance controversies, including questions around a secretly funded Democratic primary candidate in 2012 who was seen as helping weaken Rivera's eventual opponent.

Still, the Venezuela case was bigger than a local scandal. It placed a former Miami congressman, one of Florida's most prominent Republican figures, and the Maduro government inside the same courtroom. It also exposed the uneasy intersection of Miami exile politics, oil money, foreign lobbying, and Washington access.

The conviction now leaves Rivera facing the possibility of a lengthy prison sentence. Sentencing is expected in the coming months.

Originally published on Latin Times