Reported by: Guardian staff and agencies

A former Miami congressman who signed a $50m consulting contract with Venezuela’s socialist government was arrested on Monday on charges of money laundering and representing a foreign government without registering.

David Rivera, a Republican who served in the US House from 2011 to 2013, was arrested at Atlanta’s airport, authorities said. An eight-count indictment against him alleges he was part of a conspiracy to lobby on behalf of Venezuela to improve US-Venezuela relations, resolve an oil company legal dispute and end American economic sanctions against the South American nation – without registering as a foreign agent.

Pressure has been building on Rivera for more than two years after it emerged that he received the huge contract from a US affiliate of Venezuela’s state-owned oil company as the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, tried to curry favor with the Donald Trump White House.

Read full report: https://amp.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/dec/06/david-rivera-venezuela-money-laundering-agent