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A former United States Congressman, David Rivera, has been convicted of corruption-related charges in what prosecutors described as a covert lobbying scheme linked to Venezuela, a trial that also featured testimony from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
David Rivera, a Republican from Florida, was found guilty by a federal jury in Miami on charges including conspiracy to commit money laundering, failure to register as a foreign agent, and tax-related offences.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 22.
Prosecutors said Rivera was involved in a multimillion-dollar lobbying effort between 2017 and 2018, hired by the regime of then-Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro to persuade the White House to soften its policy toward Caracas, with the help of Republican contacts.
Maduro was captured in a US military raid in January and brought to the United States to face drug and other charges.
Marco Rubio testified during the trial, describing Rivera as a former close friend and recalling that they once shared accommodation while serving as Florida lawmakers. Rubio told the court he was unaware of any agreement between Rivera and Venezuelan officials, adding that he would have handled the matter differently had he known about the alleged contract.
Prosecutors further alleged that Rivera secured a $50 million contract tied to Venezuela’s state oil company, PDVSA, through then-foreign minister Delcy Rodríguez, now serving as Venezuela’s interim president.
