A federal jury in Miami convicted former U.S. Rep. David Rivera and political consultant Esther Nuhfer on Friday of secretly lobbying U.S. officials on behalf of Venezuela's government without registering under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

The verdict came at the end of a five-week trial in which prosecutors presented evidence that Rivera and Nuhfer secured a $50 million contract in 2017 with PDV USA, a U.S. subsidiary of Venezuela's state-owned oil company Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. The deal aimed to advance the interests of President Nicolás Maduro's regime, including efforts to ease U.S. sanctions.

Rivera, a Republican who represented Florida's 26th District from 2011 to 2013, faced seven counts: conspiracy to violate FARA, a substantive FARA violation, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and four counts of transactions involving criminally derived property. Nuhfer was convicted on four counts, including conspiracy to violate FARA and money laundering charges. Rivera faces up to 60 years in prison, while Nuhfer faces a maximum of 30 years.

Prosecutors alleged the pair lobbied figures such as then-Sen. Marco Rubio, now Secretary of State and a longtime friend and former roommate of Rivera, and Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas. They also arranged meetings between U.S. policymakers and Venezuelan officials, including Maduro and then-Foreign Minister Delcy Rodríguez. Text messages showed the defendants using coded language to discuss their activities.

Rubio testified that Rivera provided insights in 2017 that shaped a Senate speech signaling no retribution for Venezuelan insiders who ousted Maduro. Both Rubio and Sessions expressed shock upon learning of the contract. "He provided me with insight into some of the key phrases that regime insiders would’ve wanted to hear," Rubio said.

Financial records revealed Rivera diverted about $600,000 from the contract to fund a Florida state senate campaign and personal uses. Nuhfer used roughly $455,000 to buy a home in Key Colony Beach. Prosecutors noted payments totaling $20 million were authorized by Maduro and Rodríguez.

The defense argued the work involved legitimate commercial efforts, such as attracting ExxonMobil investments to Venezuela, and post-contract democracy promotion against Maduro. They claimed no FARA registration was required since the contract was with a U.S. entity.

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.” FBI Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles added, “Using coded messages and laundering millions of dollars to fund personal lifestyles and political campaigns, these defendants thought they could operate in the shadows.”

U.S. District Judge Melissa Damian ordered Rivera taken into custody immediately, citing him as a flight risk due to his sentence exposure, pending cases in Washington, D.C., and Venezuelan ties. He is detained at the Federal Detention Center in Miami. Nuhfer remains free on bond. Sentencing is set for July 20.

Rivera, a son of Cuban exiles and a fixture in Miami's anti-communist community, was first indicted in 2024 following earlier probes.