More than a year after being indicted, former congressman David Rivera is now on trial for allegedly illegally lobbying U.S. officials to ease pressure on Venezuela's government under President Nicolás Maduro, with prosecutors saying he failed to register as a foreign agent, as required under U.S. law.
Rivera, who represented Florida's 25th Congressional District from 2011 to 2013, is accused of signing a $50 million contract in 2017 with a Venezuelan state-linked company to try to influence U.S. policy toward Venezuela. Prosecutors say he was paid about $20 million but did not file the required disclosure under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).
