David Rivera Seeks Leniency in Sentencing; Prosecutors Demand Significant Prison Term
Former U.S. Representative David Rivera is scheduled for sentencing on Friday before federal judge Melissa Damian in Miami, following his conviction on charges related to a $50 million consulting contract with a U.S. subsidiary of Venezuela's state oil company. Rivera, 61, is requesting no further prison time, having already served approximately four months in custody, or alternatively, a sentence of no more than one year and one day. Prosecutors, however, argue that this would be an insufficient punishment for an experienced former politician who received millions of dollars while secretly lobbying U.S. officials on behalf of a foreign government and has shown no remorse. The pre-sentencing report calculates a recommended prison range of 262 to 327 months, or approximately 22 to 27 years, which Rivera's lawyers deem 'draconian.' They contend that money laundering sentencing guidelines have inflated what was fundamentally a Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) case, which carries a maximum legal sentence...