MIAMI - A federal grand jury has handed up an indictment of former U.S. Rep. David Rivera which accuses him of acting as an unregistered agent for a Venezuelan national. Rivera, 59, has been charged with violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) and laundering funds to conceal and promote his criminal conduct.

The Justice Department announced the indictment of former Florida congressman David Rivera Wednesday, alleging Rivera acted as an unregistered agent of a Venezuelan businessman as part of a $5.5 million scheme.

A former Florida state and congressional lawmaker was indicted on new charges on allegations he acted as a foreign agent for a Venezuelan businessman by attempting to influence a former Trump administration official.

Former U.S. Rep. David Rivera leaves the James Lawrence King Criminal Justice Building in Miami, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022. Rivera, a former Republican congressman representing parts of Miami-Dade, has been charged with secretly operating as a foreign agent for the Venezuelan government.

Fla., was indicted on charges that he violated the Foreign Agents Registration Act and laundered funds in order to "conceal and promote his criminal conduct," the Justice Department said.

A federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., has indicted former Florida Congressman David Rivera on charges of failing to register to lobby for a sanctioned Venezuelan businessman and laundering