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-Lurid Crime Tales-

Former US congressman David Rivera is arrested in Georgia in connection with Venezuela corruption probe after signing $50million contract with Maduro's government

2022-12-06

[Daily Mail, where America gets its news]

Former Florida Representative David Rivera was arrested in Georgia on Monday

He is charged with conspiring to launder money and illegally acting as an agent of the Venezuelan government, according to an indictment

Rivera and associate Esther Nuhfer sought to improve bilateral ties between the U.S. and Venezuela

In exchange the former U.S. congressman's consulting group Interamerican Consulting would receive $15 million

Rivera, 57, was a U.S. congressman for Florida's 25th congressional district for one term from 2011-2012

Posted by:Skidmark

#6 Venezuela’s state-run oil monopoly, Petróleos de Venezuela, used to be wholly controlled by the Venezuelan government. Last year its U.S. entity, PDV USA, came under control of an opposition government led by Juan Guaidó, whom the U.S. recognizes as Venezuela’s legitimate president.
Guaidó’s interim government recently sued Rivera. That’s because in 2017 Rivera signed a $50 million contract with PDV USA to help Petróleos de Venezuela lobby the Trump administration. Rivera received $15 million – and now PDV USA wants that money back.The suit alleges Rivera did not perform adequate lobbying services to earn those fees. And raises questions about why Rivera, supposedly a staunch anti-communist, was aiding Venezuela’s authoritarian socialist regime in the first place.

Rivera insists he was funneling the lobbying payments back to Venezuela’s opposition movement. But in a new report from the Herald, sources familiar with the case say Rivera actually funneled $4 million of his fees to a powerful ally of Venezuela’s regime, Raúl Gorrín – who is under U.S. indictment for corruption.

Rivera’s lawyer, Miami defense attorney Roy Kahn, told WLRN that Rivera is aware of no U.S. investigation involving him and Gorrín.

Posted by: Herman Henbane5539 2022-12-06 11:59

#5 It's ok, we don't have to discuss it further. You can decide who Dave was really working for:

Before being elected to the Florida House, Rivera worked in the U.S. Information Agency, under the auspices of the U.S. State Department. Rivera primarily worked in the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, which is responsible for administrative management and oversight of Radio and TV Marti, the official government broadcast services to Cuba. Before joining the U.S. Information Agency, Rivera worked as the Public Affairs Director for the Washington-based Valladares Foundation; an international human rights watch-dog group headed by the former U.S. Ambassador to the United National Human Rights Commission, Armando Valladares.
Link

Posted by: Besoeker 2022-12-06 05:57

#4 Not even a hint to indicate if he was (D) or (R). I never heard of him, but having a 50-50 chance, I guessed that he was (R) before I saw Raj's post.

GOP'ers can be scum bags, too.

Posted by: DooDahMan 2022-12-06 04:41

#3 arrested in Georgia on Monday

Two days after Biden licensed Chevron.

Posted by: Skidmark 2022-12-06 01:11

#2 The $15 million was sent in payments to Rivera's consulting group Interamerican Consulting in March and April of 2017 from PDV USA, a U.S. subsidiary of Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA, the indictment states.

Posted by: Skidmark 2022-12-06 00:55

#1 $1 into the tip jar - Rivera was a Republican Congresscritter; the headline & story blurb made me play 'Guess The Political Party' and I lost.

Well, he lost worse, so there's that.

Posted by: Raj 2022-12-06 00:48

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