Esther Nuhfer sentenced to 5 years in prison for Venezuela lobbying case

MIAMI — Esther Nuhfer walked out of a Miami-Dade County courthouse Tuesday with her family by her side and a five-year prison sentence hanging over her.

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Wearing dark sunglasses and making no comment, Nuhfer left moments after a judge handed down the sentence in the case tied to former Miami Congressman David Rivera.

Nuhfer, a political consultant, was Rivera’s co-defendant in the case involving allegations of secretly lobbying for Venezuela’s government during the first Trump administration.

The courtroom was packed with Nuhfer’s friends and family, who testified on her behalf.

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“Esther’s an extraordinary person,” said Jeanie Hernandez-Porter, a friend of Nuhfer. “She’s like the tide that is the wave to people. She lifts them up. She’s not a person motivated by greed or betrayal. She loves this country. That’s all I can say.”

The case is tied to a multimillion-dollar deal in 2017 involving Venezuela’s state oil company.

In 2022, that deal became the center of Rivera’s indictment and arrest.

The judge ultimately called it “the David Rivera show,” determining Nuhfer did not play a lead role.

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But the five-year prison sentence still stands.