David Rivera gets 10 years in Venezuela case, reports say

Former Republican congressman David Rivera was sentenced to 10 years in prison for secretly lobbying the US government on behalf of Venezuela, US media reported Friday.

Rivera was convicted in May by a federal jury in Miami of conspiracy to launder money, failing to register as a foreign agent and other charges tied to a $50 million contract linked to Venezuela's state oil company.

Prosecutors said Rivera was hired during President Donald Trump's first term by the government of then-Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro to use Republican contacts to persuade Washington to soften its policy toward Caracas. They alleged that Rivera persuaded then-foreign minister Delcy Rodriguez to award him the lobbying contract paid for by PDVSA.

US District Judge Melissa Damian imposed the sentence after a hearing lasting more than four hours, The Washington Post reported. The newspaper said Rivera intends to appeal and has applied for a presidential pardon.

Rivera's relationship with Secretary of State Marco Rubio was a prominent part of the case. Rubio testified at the trial that Rivera had once been a close friend and that they shared an apartment when both were Florida lawmakers. Rubio said he did not know at the time about Rivera's alleged contract with Venezuelan officials and has not been implicated in wrongdoing.

US media reported that Rivera argued his consulting work concerned efforts to bring ExxonMobil back to Venezuela and that his political activity was intended to remove Maduro rather than help his government. Rivera separately faces a federal case in Washington over allegations that he received more than $5.5 million to lobby for a Venezuelan businessman targeted by US sanctions.