Former Rep. David Rivera, R-Fla., was indicted for violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act and laundering funds to conceal and promote his criminal conduct. He is accused of working as an agent for a Venezuelan national involved in a corruption scheme to bribe the national treasurer of Venezuela. Rivera allegedly sought to lobby U.S. government officials on behalf of the Venezuelan national and created shell companies to hide his crimes. The indictment states that the scheme took place in 2019 and 2020. Rivera was previously arrested in 2022 for similar charges related to working as an agent of a foreign government without registering with the U.S. government. The FBI Miami Field Office is investigating the case, but no comments have been provided by either the FBI or Rivera’s attorney. Rivera has denied the allegations, calling them false and politically motivated. He served in Congress from 2011 to 2013. This indictment comes amidst Rivera’s previous legal troubles, with the Miami Herald reporting his statement questioning the timing of the indictment as the Trump administration was set to bring fairness back to the justice system.
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