Former Rep. David Rivera, R-Fla., was indicted Tuesday on charges of violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) and laundering funds to “conceal and promote his criminal conduct,” the Department of Justice announced Wednesday. The indictment marks the latest legal trouble for Rivera, who served in Congress from 2011 to 2013.
The indictment alleges that Rivera worked as an agent of Raul Gorrín Belisario, a Venezuelan businessman accused of playing a central role in a corruption scheme to bribe Venezuela’s national treasurer. Gorrín, who had been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department and placed on the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List in 2019, allegedly paid Rivera over $5.5 million to lobby senior U.S. government officials to have him removed from the sanctions list.
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Under FARA, individuals acting on behalf of foreign governments or intermediaries must register their activities with the U.S. government. Rivera is accused of failing to meet this legal obligation while working to influence U.S. officials.
The indictment also alleges Rivera created fraudulent shell companies to obscure his lobbying activities and launder payments. These companies, falsely named to appear legitimate, were used to funnel funds to individuals assisting Rivera in lobbying efforts on Gorrín’s behalf.
The scheme reportedly occurred between 2019 and 2020. Rivera’s actions, according to the indictment, included efforts to conceal his activities and payments from scrutiny.
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Rivera was previously arrested and indicted in 2022 for allegedly acting as an unregistered agent of the Venezuelan government. Prosecutors in that case accused him of attempting to influence U.S. policies in favor of Venezuela without disclosing his role to U.S. authorities. Rivera has consistently denied the allegations, referring to them as politically motivated.
In a statement reported by the Miami Herald on Wednesday, Rivera described the recent indictment as “just another politicized indictment against a Republican, right before the Trump administration brings back sanity and fairness to this weaponization of the justice system.”
The Department of Justice emphasized the seriousness of the charges, highlighting the role of FARA in ensuring transparency regarding foreign influence on U.S. policies. The FBI Miami Field Office is leading the investigation, although both the FBI and Rivera’s attorney have yet to comment on the new charges.
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