Source: @RepRivera
(CNN Spanish) --
Former Florida congressman David Rivera was arrested this Monday in Atlanta on charges related to money laundering and failure to register as a foreign agent, among others.
The arrest information was confirmed to CNN by the US Department of Justice's Office of Public Affairs.
The indictment of the federal court of the Southern District of Florida dated November 16 points to Rivera as part of a conspiracy to lobby in favor of the Government of Venezuela with the objective of obtaining political support in the United States to normalize relations between both countries.
That included, according to the documents, resolving the legal dispute between a US company that they identify as "a multinational oil and gas corporation" and Venezuela, in addition to preventing the northern country from imposing additional sanctions against the questioned president Nicolás Maduro and other members. of his government.
The indictment stipulates that all these actions were carried out without allegedly registering as a foreign agent, and that, in exchange, Rivera signed a contract in 2017 with the state-owned Petróleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA) for US$50 million.
Luis Fernando Vuteff, a businessman allegedly linked to PDVSA money laundering, is released on bail in Florida
CNN contacted the former congressman's legal representative who declined to comment on the case.
CNN is contacting the Ministry of Popular Power for Communication and Information of Venezuela.
The former congressman's company was sued in 2020 by the subsidiary of Petróleos de Venezuela in the US, alleging breach of contract.
Rivera maintained his innocence and filed a countersuit.
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Rivera represented the state of Florida in Congress for the Republican Party between 2011 and 2013.
Osmary Hernández and Ana Maria Mejía contributed to this report.
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