Former Florida congressman fined $456K for campaign scheme – By Kelly Hooper (Politico) / Feb 23 2021
David Rivera is accused of funneling cash to one opponent to damage another.
Former Rep. David Rivera, a Florida Republican who has been roiled by scandal and lawsuits over the past decade, on Tuesday was ordered to pay a fine of $456,000 to the Federal Election Commission.
The FEC alleged in a civil lawsuit that Rivera secretly carried out a scheme during a 2012 congressional primary to fund the campaign of Democratic candidate Justin Lamar Sternad in an effort to weaken the campaign of opponent Joe Garcia.
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida granted Rivera’s move to dismiss the FEC’s initial complaint against him in 2017, citing a Utah court ruling that the FEC had overstepped. The agency filed an amended complaint in 2019, which Rivera again tried to have dismissed, but this time the court sided with the FEC and the lawsuit moved forward.
The FEC accused Rivera in the complaint of making approximately $55,000 in campaign contributions in the name of another. Rivera has continued to deny any wrongdoing.
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