New accusations against former US congressman hired by Venezuela

A former Miami congressman who signed a $50 million contract as a consultant to Venezuela’s socialist government apparently not only did no work, but funneled much of the money to a yacht company in the name of a fugitive billionaire, according to with new allegations in a civil lawsuit.

The accusations against former congressman David Rivera emerge in a new document filed in New York federal court by critics of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro who now control the US subsidiaries of the South American country’s state oil company.

Interamerican Consulting, Rivera’s company, was sued in 2020 by PDV USA—a Delaware-based subsidiary of the Venezuelan company Citgo. The suit alleges that Rivera did not perform any work for the $50 million contract he signed in 2017 for three months of “strategic consulting” to build relationships with prominent figures in the United States.

The same contract has been the focus of an ongoing investigation by federal prosecutors in Miami examining, among other things, whether Rivera failed to register as a foreign lobbyist, as required by law.

Rivera has not been charged with any crime, but the new indictments offer a detailed look at his dealings with Venezuela’s state oil industry and how he allegedly spent the money he received.

At about the same time that Rivera was hired, the Maduro government had launched a diplomatic offensive to gain leverage with the Trump administration. Venezuelan authorities initially avoided direct criticism of the new US president and even donated $500,000 to his inauguration committee through Citgo.

The new court document is based on evidence recently presented by PDV USA lawyers, including 18,000 text and WhatsApp messages from Rivera’s phone and statements he made over two days in July.

Rivera received only $15 million of the original sum, but the new indictment alleges he spent some of that on unexplained payments to a convicted drug trafficker and a yacht company on behalf of a Venezuelan TV mogul wanted by US authorities.

“Mr. Rivera never provided any service to Citgo and, it seems, never had the intention to do so,” according to the document presented by PDV USA. “Instead, the real purpose of the agreement was to cover up illicit transactions.”

Rivera did not respond to a request for comment, but has insisted on his innocence and has countersued PDV USA alleging breach of contract and unjust enrichment because the company failed to pay $30 million he says he is still owed.

According to the document presented to the court, in an exchange of messages with Raúl Gorrín—a close friend of Maduro, owner of the largest private television network in Venezuela—Rivera discussed having tried to arrange a meeting between the Venezuelan foreign minister and executives of the American oil company Exxon.

[Con información de The Associated Press]

Connect with the Voice of America! Subscribe to our channel Youtube and turn on notifications, or follow us on social media: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.