Former US congressman David Rivera sentenced to 10 years in prison for secret Venezuela lobbying

Former Miami congressman David Rivera was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison for failing to register as a foreign agent and conspiracy to commit money laundering in a $50 million lobbying campaign.

During the first Trump administration, Rivera pushed to normalize relations with then-President Nicolás Maduro’s government while using coded names like 'Sombrero' for U.S. officials.

Defense attorneys argued the contract was purely commercial work to lure ExxonMobil back to Venezuela and plan to appeal the conviction and seek a presidential pardon.