Former Florida congressman fined $456,000 for "egregious" campaign scheme

A U.S. federal court on Tuesday ordered former Miami Republican congressman David Rivera to pay a $456,000 fine after the Federal Election Commission accused him of engaging in an illegal campaign contribution scheme during his 2012 congressional bid.

The FEC alleged Rivera illegally funneled $75,000 via an intermediary to a ghost candidate, Justin Lamar Sternad, in an effort to undermine his chief political rival of his in his primary for the Democratic party nomination.

“The FEC alleges that during the Democratic primary, Rivera executed a scheme to secretly provide funds to Sternad’s campaign to weaken Garcia, who was likely to be Rivera’s general election opponent,” according to the court documents.

“Rivera’s conduct was egregious… Rivera orchestrated this unlawful scheme despite his awareness of its illegality,” wrote South Florida District Court Judge Marcia Cooke.

The effort failed and Garcia went on to beat the incumbent Rivera in November 2012.

Rivera has attempted several comebacks and was elected to the executive committee of the Miami Republican Party in August, despite allegations that he was involved in a lobbying contract with the socialist government of Venezuela.

“Rivera continues to refuse to take responsibility for his illegal conduct from him,” Cooke wrote in her 39-page order.

Rivera is under federal investigation for alleged acts of corruption in connection with a $50 million lobbying contract with a subsidiary in the United States of the Venezuelan oil company PDVSA to improve the reputation of the company. Rivera’s consulting firm, Interamerican Consulting, was paid 15 million dollars before the contract was canceled.

Rivera's financial ties with a company owned by Venezuela's socialist government caused astonishment in Miami as the Cuban-American politician is known in South Florida as a champion of the Cuban exile community in South Florida.