MIAMI — Former Miami Congressman David Rivera was arrested Monday on federal criminal charges related to his multimillion-dollar consulting contract with Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, federal prosecutors confirmed.
Rivera, a once-influential player in South Florida politics, and a few other defendants have been charged by an indictment returned in Miami but it has not yet been unsealed, according to the U.S. attorney’s office in South Florida.
Rivera had his first federal court appearance in Atlanta, where he had been living and was arrested Monday afternoon. But he is expected to be transferred to Miami this week to face charges, possibly including failing to register as a foreign agent in the U.S. for his work as a consultant for the Venezuelan government.
