David Rivera, a former Republican congressman, appeared on Tuesday, December 20, in Miami Federal Court for failing to register as a “foreign agent” to lobby in favor of PDVSA. He was fined a new $200,000 and the charges against him will be announced in January. His lawyers say he is innocent.
The defense of former Republican congressman David Rivera, accused by the United States Justice of allegedly conspiring to commit crimes against that country for not registering as a foreign agent to lobby in favor of Petróleos de Venezuela, assures that his client is innocent of the charges that were they impute him
In the opinion of Jeffrey Feldman, one of the lawyers defending Rivera, the case against the former congressman is based on a “central accusation” in which the Republican politician is pointed out as a “Venezuelan government agent and of Nicolás Maduro”, asserting that there is “not a shred of truth” in those remarks.
Feldman affirmed that it is not necessary to register with the US Government if you are not an agent of that government or of Nicolás Maduro, thus responding to a question that journalists asked him about why he simply did not register his consulting company, Interamerican Consulting, when he landed the $50 million lobbying contract with PDV USA in 2017.
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For his part, Rivera stated before going to court on Tuesday, December 20, that the accusations against him are false and that he has worked in the fight for freedom in countries like Cuba and Venezuela.
“Anyone who knows me knows that what the government alleges is completely false and completely absurd (…) I have spent my entire adult life fighting for freedom and democracy not only in Cuba but also for many years in Venezuela. And we hope to prove it in court,” he asserted.
In the hearing held in the Federal Court of Miami, the arraignment against Rivera was postponed until January 23. The judge set him a new $200,000 bond, signed by his wife and sister, which imposes a curfew between 8:00 pm and 6:00 am and allows him to travel to South Florida, Orlando, Manhattan, Washington, DC and Atlanta, where he lives with his wife and children.
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However, he and his wife must surrender their passports and he cannot use alcohol or controlled substances without a prescription.
The December 5th, David Rivera was arrested in Atlanta (Giorgia), for alleged federal charges related to a consulting contract of 50 million dollars with the government of Nicolás Maduro. However, he was released after a few hours.
Three days later the same thing happened with his partner, Esther Nufer, who went to appear in court. Bail was set at $200,000 and his passport was withheld; this to prevent him from escaping from the US.
With information from miami herald
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