US jails Rubio ally for secretly lobbying for Venezuela

Former Republican congressman David Rivera was sentenced to ten years in prison on Friday for covertly lobbying the United States government on behalf of Venezuela. Convicted in May by a federal jury in Miami, Rivera was found guilty of conspiracy to launder money, failing to register as a foreign agent, and other charges related to a $50 million contract tied to Venezuela's state oil company.

Prosecutors claimed that Rivera, hired by the government of then-Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro during Trump's first term, used his Republican connections to influence Washington's stance toward Caracas. They alleged that Rivera encouraged then-foreign minister Delcy Rodriguez, now Venezuela's interim president, to grant him a lucrative lobbying contract funded by energy giant PDVSA.

The judge, Melissa Damian of the US district court, delivered the verdict after a proceeding that lasted over four hours, according to The Washington Post. Rivera plans to appeal the decision and has applied for a presidential pardon. The congressman's relationship with Rubio, a prominent Republican figure, played a significant role in the case.

State Department officials testified that Rivera had been a close friend and had shared an apartment with Rubio during their time as Florida lawmakers. Rubio met with Rivera twice in 2017 to discuss Venezuela's political future. The then-US senator confirmed he was unaware of Rivera's alleged contract with Venezuelan officials at the time and stated he would have acted differently had he known.

Rubio testified that he had no knowledge of Rivera's contract with Venezuelan officials when they met. Rivera argued that his consulting work focused on bringing US oil giant ExxonMobil back into Venezuela and that his political activities aimed to remove Maduro instead of helping his government. Additionally, he is facing a separate federal case in Washington involving allegations that he received over $5.5 million to lobby for a Venezuelan businessman sanctioned by the US.