Former U.S. Rep. David Rivera was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after a Miami jury convicted him in May of conspiracy to commit money laundering, failing to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act and related offenses tied to a secret lobbying campaign for Venezuela. Rivera has remained in federal custody without bond since the verdict. Prosecutors said Rivera and consultant Esther Nuhfer concealed work for PDV USA, the U.S. affiliate of Venezuela's state-run oil company, during a 2017-2018 campaign aimed at persuading the first Trump administration to ease sanctions on Nicolás Maduro's government. Their contract was valued at $50 million, though prosecutors said they ultimately received about $20 million before it was terminated. Nuhfer received a five-year sentence in August. Rivera's lawyers argued that the work was conducted in good faith and did not require FARA disclosure; they plan to appeal and previously sought a presidential pardon. A court ruling remains pending on prosecutors' request that Rivera forfeit $20 million, and he faces a related federal foreign-lobbying case in Washington, D.C.