Federal prosecutors are drawing a hard line in the Ex-Rep Venezuela Agent Case, insisting that former U.S. Rep. David Rivera and political consultant Esther Nuhfer cannot sidestep charges under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). The government argued in a Florida federal court that FARA’s reporting requirements are constitutional, stressing the law “merely requires registration and disclosures” rather than restricting political speech.
Rivera and Nuhfer, indicted in November 2022, face accusations of conspiring to launder money and failing to register as foreign agents. Rivera, who represented Miami-Dade and Collier counties as a Republican in Congress, also faces separate tax-related charges. Both defendants pled not guilty earlier this year.
$50 Million Deal at the Heart of the Case
The charges stem from a $50 million consulting agreement between Rivera’s Interamerican Consulting Inc. and PDV USA, the U.S. subsidiary of Venezuela’s state-owned oil giant, PDVSA. Prosecutors allege the lucrative contract was designed to advance Venezuela’s political interests in Washington, including lobbying for sanctions relief.
According to the DOJ, the defendants’ conduct aligns directly with what FARA was built to monitor: undisclosed lobbying on behalf of foreign governments.
