2026年3月23日 上午10:01 UTC / 路透社
美国华盛顿特区国会大厦一景，2026年3月2日。路透社/肯·塞德诺 [购买授权，新标签页打开]
- 摘要
- 公司
- 大卫·里维拉被指控为委内瑞拉马杜罗进行非法游说
- 审判或揭示德尔西·罗德里格斯在美国-委内瑞拉关系中的角色
- 里维拉称其目的是推翻马杜罗，而非协助他
- 美国国务卿马尔科·卢比奥可能被传唤作证
3月23日（路透社）- 一名美国前国会议员将于周一开始受审，被控非法游说美国官员，以阻止对被罢黜的委内瑞拉总统尼古拉斯·马杜罗政府实施更多经济制裁。
迈阿密联邦检察官称，大卫·里维拉2017年获得委内瑞拉国有企业2000万美元报酬，试图改善美委关系，但未按《外国代理人登记法》（FARA）要求进行外国游说者登记。
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此次审判可能揭示委内瑞拉现任临时总统德尔西·罗德里格斯在特朗普政府第一任期初期所谓游说活动中扮演的幕后角色。
特朗普在马杜罗2026年1月被美国特种部队抓获后，曾赞扬罗德里格斯。
里维拉对包括未登记为外国代理人和共谋洗钱在内的10项刑事指控均不认罪。
这位60岁的共和党人2011年至2013年代表佛罗里达州南部选区，2022年被捕，目前保释金20万美元获释。
检察官称可能传唤美国国务卿马尔科·卢比奥作为证人，他曾是里维拉的前美国参议员和政治盟友。审判预计持续数周。
里维拉的辩护律师埃德·肖哈特在接受路透社电话采访时表示，里维拉无需根据FARA登记，因为他是被委内瑞拉国有石油公司Petroleos de Venezuela（PDVSA.UL）的美国关联公司支付报酬。
在法庭文件中，里维拉的律师辩称，他正努力帮助委内瑞拉反对派将马杜罗赶下台。
里维拉及其共同被告政治顾问埃丝特·努赫弗的律师在1月公开的法庭文件中写道：”本案检察官完全搞错了方向。”努赫弗也不认罪。
特朗普加大制裁力度
根据起诉书，2017年2月一名委内瑞拉商人请求里维拉代表委内瑞拉政府游说美国官员。
当时，委内瑞拉正经历经济危机，马杜罗政府镇压街头抗议，反对者指责其排挤反对派控制的立法机构。美国议员敦促特朗普加大对马杜罗的压力。
起诉书称，里维拉4月安排当时的委内瑞拉外长罗德里格斯与一名德克萨斯州美国国会议员会面。6月，他安排该商人与一名佛罗里达州美国参议员会面。
起诉书未指明商人、国会议员或参议员身份。里维拉律师在其他法庭文件中将商人与参议员分别指认为劳尔·戈林和卢比奥。
戈林（环球电视台所有者）的律师未回应置评请求。
国务院未回应置评请求。
为补偿里维拉，罗德里格斯指示美国炼油商Citgo（PDVSAC.UL，PDVSA子公司）与他的公司签订咨询合同，检察官称。
负责政府媒体问询的委内瑞拉信息部未回应置评请求。
尽管存在所谓游说活动，特朗普仍加大了对委内瑞拉的制裁。
纽约记者露西·科恩报道；华盛顿和加拉加斯新闻室记者胡梅拉·帕穆克补充报道；诺琳·沃尔德和尼亚·威廉姆斯编辑
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（注意：原文中存在“节点运行失败”提示，可能是格式或内容加载问题，已按正常新闻翻译流程处理）
Former US Congressman faces trial over alleged illegal Venezuela lobbying
March 23, 2026 10:01 AM UTC / Reuters
A view of the US Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 2, 2026. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno [Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab]
- Summary
- Companies
- David Rivera accused of illegal lobbying for Venezuela’s Maduro
- Trial may shed light on Delcy Rodriguez’s role in US-Venezuela relations
- Rivera says he aimed to oust Maduro, not aid him
- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio may be called as a witness
March 23 (Reuters) – A former U.S. congressman is due to stand trial starting on Monday on charges of illegally lobbying U.S. officials to prevent further economic sanctions against ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s government.
Federal prosecutors in Miami say David Rivera was paid $20 million in 2017 by Venezuelan state-owned companies to try to improve U.S.-Venezuela ties, but did not register as a foreign lobbyist as required by the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
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The trial could shed light on the behind-the-scenes role Venezuela’s current interim President Delcy Rodriguez played in the alleged lobbying effort during the early days of President Donald Trump’s first term in the White House.
Trump has praised Rodriguez since she took over from Maduro following his January 3 capture by U.S. special forces.
Rivera has pleaded not guilty to 10 criminal counts including failure to register as a foreign agent and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
The 60-year-old Republican, who represented southern Florida in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011 to 2013, was arrested in 2022 and has since been free on $200,000 bond.
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Prosecutors have said they may call U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a former U.S. senator and onetime political ally of Rivera’s, as a witness. The trial is expected to last several weeks.
Rivera’s defense lawyer Ed Shohat told Reuters in a telephone interview that Rivera did not have to register under FARA because he was paid by a U.S. affiliate of Venezuelan state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA.UL).
In court papers, Rivera’s lawyers have argued that he was working to help Venezuela’s opposition remove Maduro from power.
“The prosecutors in this case have it completely wrong and backwards,” lawyers for Rivera and his co-defendant, political consultant Esther Nuhfer, wrote in a court filing made public in January. Nuhfer has also pleaded not guilty.
TRUMP RAMPED UP SANCTIONS
According to the indictment, a Venezuelan businessman in February 2017 sought Rivera’s help with lobbying U.S. officials on the Venezuelan government’s behalf.
At the time, Venezuela was undergoing an economic crisis, Maduro’s government was cracking down on street protests, and his opponents accused him of sidelining the opposition-controlled legislature. U.S. lawmakers were urging Trump to step up pressure on Maduro.
Rivera in April arranged for a meeting between Rodriguez, then Venezuela’s foreign minister, and a U.S. congressman from Texas, prosecutors said. In June 2017 he arranged a meeting between the businessman and a U.S. senator from Florida, according to the indictment.
The indictment did not name the businessman, congressman or senator. Rivera’s lawyers identified the businessman and senator in other court papers as Raul Gorrin and Rubio, respectively.
A lawyer for Gorrin, the owner of Venezuelan television station Globovision, did not respond to a request for comment.
The State Department did not respond to a request for comment.
To compensate Rivera, Rodriguez directed U.S. oil refiner Citgo (PDVSAC.UL), a PDVSA subsidiary, to sign a consulting contract with his company, prosecutors said.
Venezuela’s information ministry, which handles media inquiries for the government, did not respond to a request for comment.
Trump ramped up sanctions on Venezuela despite the alleged lobbying effort.
Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Additional reporting by Humeyra Pamuk in Washington and Caracas newsroom Editing by Noeleen Walder and Nia Williams
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