July 07, 2026
A political consultant convicted of knowingly failing to register as a foreign agent as she helped draft a $50 million contract involving a former congressman and Venezuela's state-owned oil enterprise continues to argue she should be acquitted or given a new trial, saying the verdict was "against the great weight of the evidence."
July 06, 2026
The first half of 2026 brought long-awaited rulings providing clarity on the punitive damages pleading standard in Florida and the extent of a law allowing U.S. victims of Cuban property seizures to seek damages, as well as a high-profile guilty verdict in a rare foreign agent criminal trial. Here, Law360 looks at these and other notable developments from Florida so far this year.
June 23, 2026
The U.S. government told a Florida federal court there was "abundant" evidence to convict a political consultant of knowingly failing to register as a foreign agent as she helped draft a $50 million contract involving a former congressman and Venezuela's state-owned oil enterprise.
June 09, 2026
A former congressman urged a Florida federal court to overturn a jury verdict finding him guilty of secretly lobbying for Venezuela's leftist regime for $50 million, arguing several missteps by the court resulted in his conviction.
May 29, 2026
A political consultant convicted alongside ex-Florida Rep. David Rivera asked for a new trial Friday, arguing that the government "did not come close to proving" that she was guilty of willfully failing to register as a foreign agent for her work on a $50 million contract with a unit of Venezuela's state-owned oil company.
May 01, 2026
A Florida federal jury on Friday found former Florida congressman David Rivera guilty of failing to register as a foreign agent after signing a $50 million contract with a unit of Venezuela's state-owned oil company.
April 29, 2026
The government did not prove that political consultant Esther Nuhfer was operating in bad faith when she worked with former Florida congressman David Rivera under a $50 million contract with a unit of Venezuela's state-owned oil company, Nuhfer's attorney said Wednesday in his final pitch to jurors.
April 28, 2026
Former U.S. Rep. David Rivera's public opposition to the regime of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was just a "facade" as he secretly worked on behalf of the government under a $50 million contract with a unit of Venezuela's state-owned oil company, federal prosecutors told jurors on Tuesday.
April 27, 2026
U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, told jurors in Florida federal court on Monday that his meetings with Venezuelan officials set up by former Florida Congressman David Rivera were part of a larger attempt to negotiate an exit for then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and usher in free and fair elections for the country.
April 24, 2026
Federal prosecutors urged a Florida U.S. district judge to reject an attempt by politician David Rivera and a political consultant to escape charges for allegedly failing to register as foreign agents while secretly representing Venezuela's state-owned oil company, saying the charges aren't too late.