Ex-US congressman sentenced to 10 years in prison for $50m lobbying scheme

October 2, 2026

Former Florida Republican congressman David Rivera, age 61, has been sentenced to a decade in federal prison after being convicted of money laundering and operating as an unregistered foreign agent. Rivera and his associate Esther Nuhfer were found guilty of running a covert influence operation after accepting a $50 million contract from a Venezuelan state oil company subsidiary to lobby U.S. officials between 2017 and 2018. The lobbying effort, which occurred during a period of strained U.S.-Venezuela relations under the Trump administration, targeted high-level officials including then-Senator Marco Rubio and White House adviser Kellyanne Conway on behalf of the Maduro government.

Who is affected

David Rivera (former U.S. congressman, sentenced to 10 years in prison and property forfeiture)
Esther Nuhfer (political consultant and Rivera's associate, found guilty)
Secretary of State Marco Rubio (lobbying target, testified at trial)
Texas congressman Pete Sessions (testified at trial)
Kellyanne Conway (former White House adviser, lobbying target)
Venezuelan state oil firm PDVSA/Citgo
The Maduro government of Venezuela

What action is being taken

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Why it matters

This case demonstrates serious violations of foreign agent registration laws and represents a significant corruption case involving a former member of Congress. The $50 million secret lobbying scheme undermined U.S. foreign policy during a critical period when the Trump administration was imposing sanctions on Venezuela, potentially compromising national security interests. The severity of the 10-year sentence serves as a deterrent against undisclosed foreign influence operations targeting American officials and institutions.

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: BBC