Ex-Congressman Convicted in Venezuela Lobbying Scandal

0:00On May 1st, a former Miami congressman, David Rivera, and his associate, Esther Nufr, just got convicted on all counts in the secret. $50 million lobbying scheme for Venezuela's government. This went down during the first Trump administration, where they worked for Nicolas Maduro without registering his foreign agents and conspired on. Money laundering? Prosecutors said Rivera used his GOP connections, like Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Congressman Pete Sessions, to push for easing harsh, sanctions on Venezuela. Rubio and Sessions testified they were blindsided when they learned about Rivera's deal with the US arm of Venezuela's state oil company. Rivera stayed stone face as the verdict hit, but the judge ordered him straight into custody, calling him a flight risk with big money access and more charges looming in DC. The defense argued it was just legit business to bring Exxon mobile back to Venezuela, not political meddling. The seven-week trial pealed back Miami's wild side as a hope for Latin American influence

1:03games, mixing exiles, corruption, and anti-communist vibes. Rivera, a longtime Rubio pal from their Florida days, has dodged scandals before, like campaign finance probes. Now, with Maduro out and Delci Rodriguez stepping up as a key player in the second Trump era, this case shows how fast alliances flip in the region. Rivera's facing serious time ahead.