David Rivera Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison

Former U.S. Rep. David Rivera was sentenced Friday to 10 years in federal prison after a jury convicted him of acting as an undisclosed agent for Venezuela’s government and money laundering. U.S. District Judge Melissa Damian imposed concurrent sentences across seven counts, rejecting Rivera’s request for acquittal or a new trial. Rivera’s lawyers plan to appeal, according to reports, but the supplied information does not establish that an appeal has been filed. The case centered on a 2017 consulting agreement worth $50 million between Rivera’s company, Interamerican Consulting, and PDV USA, a U.S. affiliate of Venezuela’s state-owned oil company. Prosecutors said the contract provided a financial basis for an effort to influence U.S. policy toward Venezuela without required disclosure. Interamerican received $20 million in four payments, according to financial records described in court reporting. The judge cited the scale of the payments and money-laundering convictions in assessing the seriousness of the case.