New claims against ex Miami congressman hired by Venezuela

MIAMI (AP) — A former Miami congressman who signed a $50 million consulting contract with Venezuela's socialist government not only did no apparent work, but also channeled a large chunk of the money to a yacht company on behalf of a fugitive billionaire, according to new allegations in a civil suit.

The accusations against former Congressman David Rivera come in a new filing Friday in New York federal court by opponents of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro who now control the U.S.-based affiliates of the South American nation's state oil company.

Rivera’s Interamerican Consulting was sued in 2020 by PDV USA — a Delaware-based affiliate of Venezuelan-owned Citgo. It alleges Rivera performed no work for the $50 million contract he signed in 2017 for three months of “strategic consulting” meant to build bridges with key U.S. stakeholders.

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

Rivera has not been charged with any crime, but the new filings give a detailed look at his dealings with Venezuela's state-run oil industry and how he allegedly spent the money he received.

Around the same time Rivera was hired, Maduro's government had launched a charm offensive to curry favor with the Trump administration. It initially avoided outright criticism of the new U.S. leader and even donated $500,000 to his inaugural committee through Citgo.

The new court filing is based on evidence only recently uncovered by PDV USA’s attorneys, including 18,000 text and WhatsApp messages from Rivera’s phone and statements he made during a two-day deposition in July.

Rivera received only $15 million of the original amount,...