MIAMI — A federal grand jury in Washington has indicted former Congressman David Rivera for failing to register as a foreign agent connected to a sanctioned Venezuelan media mogul. Allegedly, Rivera lobbied the Trump administration on behalf of Raúl Gorrín, the billionaire embroiled in legal issues due to his alleged bribery of high-ranking Venezuelan officials as part of schemes to misappropriate state assets from Nicolas Maduro’s regime.
The fresh indictment comes as part of ongoing scrutiny into Rivera’s ties with Gorrín, who has faced charges since 2018 and more recently in 2024. The allegations suggest that between June 2019 and April 2020, Rivera attempted to persuade various U.S. officials—including a high-ranking unidentified official in the executive branch—to lift sanctions imposed on Gorrín.
Prosecutors from the National Security Division of the U.S. Justice Department indicated that Rivera allegedly received more than $5.5 million from Gorrín or on his behalf. Rivera is said to have paid an additional $125,000 to an unnamed former U.S. official residing in New York to assist in these lobbying efforts. A notable part of this indictment includes charges of money laundering and failure to comply with the Foreign Agents Registration Act, which mandates that individuals lobbying on behalf of foreign entities disclose their activities.
As part of the alleged scheme, Rivera reportedly established fraudulent shell companies registered in Delaware, intending to give them a facade of legitimacy through names associated with a law firm and the unnamed official. This tactic was meant to create the impression that these companies were credible and operational. However, prosecutors contend that the mentioned official was unaware that their name and city were being utilized in this manner.
Ed Shohat, the Miami-based attorney representing Rivera, has refrained from commenting on the indictment, citing a lack of time to discuss the matter with his client.
In 2022, Rivera was also arrested in connection with a separate illegal lobbying case linked to a $50 million consulting agreement his firm, Interamerican Consulting, had with a U.S. branch of Venezuela’s state-run oil company, PDVSA. Prosecutors alleged that this 2017 contract served as a cover for Maduro’s attempts to influence the incoming Trump administration.
Despite the outreach efforts, which coincided with Susie Wiles, Trump’s now-incoming chief of staff, lobbying for Gorrín’s media network Globovisión, the initiative did not succeed. By 2019, Trump recognized opposition figure Juan Guaidó as the legitimate leader of Venezuela and imposed stringent oil sanctions intended to destabilize Maduro’s regime.
Before these efforts fell apart, Gorrín was able to have his photograph taken with then-Vice President Mike Pence at a Florida event. Rivera also arranged meetings between Gorrín and high-profile political figures, including U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, who had previously shared living quarters with Rivera in Tallahassee.
Moreover, Rivera attempted to plan a potential flight for a female advisor who would later become a White House counselor, arranging this for June 27, 2017—coinciding with a fundraising dinner in Miami attended by Trump aide Kellyanne Conway. Conway has stated that she did not utilize any private flights for the event, clarifying that she flew commercially with her security detail.
In another maneuver, Rivera reportedly engaged U.S. Representative Pete Sessions of Texas in the hopes of coordinating a meeting between Venezuela’s foreign minister and Exxon executives, situated in Sessions’ congressional district.
Rivera, who served in Congress from 2011 to 2013, has been involved in various controversies related to elections, including allegations of covertly funding a Democratic candidate to challenge his rival in South Florida and an investigation regarding a concealed $1 million contract with a gambling enterprise. He has denied any illegal activities connected to lobbying for the Venezuelan government and has initiated a countersuit against those opposing Maduro in federal court.