A federal jury in Miami has convicted former U.S. Congressman David Rivera and political consultant Esther Nuhfer of secretly acting as unregistered agents for Venezuela, violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). The defendants were found guilty of conspiracy to violate FARA, a FARA violation, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and multiple counts related to transactions in criminally derived property.
Prosecutors revealed that Rivera and Nuhfer secured a $50 million contract with a U.S. subsidiary of Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, PDVSA (Citgo), to advance the interests of the Venezuelan regime. The operation involved arranging meetings between U.S. policymakers and high-ranking Venezuelan officials, including then-President Nicolás Maduro and Foreign Minister Delcy Rodríguez. Court records show Rivera and Nuhfer used coded language in text messages to conceal their activities from federal authorities.
U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones stated: “These convictions expose a simple truth: the defendants sold access and influence to a hostile foreign regime for money.” The defense argued Rivera’s goal was to oust Maduro, claiming the contract exempted it from FARA requirements. However, jurors rejected this, noting Rivera and Nuhfer operated without proper registration while leveraging political connections—including those of then-Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Congresswoman Pete Sessions—to advance Venezuelan interests.
Rivera, who served in Congress from 2011 to 2013, faces up to 60 years in prison. Nuhfer, 51, faces a maximum sentence of 30 years. Evidence showed Rivera diverted approximately $600,000 from the contract for his Florida state congressional campaign, while Nuhfer used about $455,000 to purchase property in Key Colony Beach.
The convictions underscore federal efforts to combat covert foreign influence, with prosecutors emphasizing that violations of FARA undermine democratic integrity by allowing adversaries to exploit trusted relationships and financial channels.