Over the past seven years, Republican state Rep. David Rivera repeatedly said in sworn documents that his main source of income, outside of his salary from the Legislature, came from consulting work he did for the U.S. Agency for International Development.
But USAID has no record of ever hiring Rivera -- now a candidate for Congress -- or his company.
``We do not have Mr. Rivera nor the corporations you referred to in our records,'' USAID press officer Annette Aulton told The Miami Herald in an e-mail.
When asked by The Herald about his work with USAID, Rivera gave conflicting explanations, first saying he won the USAID contracts through competitive bidding, but later saying he worked only as a subcontractor to other USAID contractors -- whom Rivera would not identify.
Rivera listed USAID as a source of income in financial-disclosure forms filed with the Florida Commission on Ethics from 2003 to 2009. In the documents, required of all elected officials, Rivera said he worked for USAID through a Puerto Rican company called Interamerican Government Relations, performing ``international development consulting.''
Rivera told The Herald that he started the company with a partner he would not name. Corporate documents in Puerto Rico show only the existence of the company, but does not name the principals.
Full story here.
Keep digging, keep digging, keep digging!!!! There is so much more. Follow the money trail... start with every appropriation (including those to non-profits)from the time that Rubio was Speaker Designate. Then look to see what companies those entities hired as "consultants". Lots of entities that got appropriations payed out "consulting fees". I don't know about you, but that sounds like kickbacks to me.
Posted by: tootie | October 13, 2010 at 09:51 AM
Aside from the obvious lying, what other kind of fraud was Rivera up to here? This looks like something illegal. Will he plead the 5th like the new GOP darling fraudster Rick Scott?
Posted by: Rubio/Rivera destined for adjoining cells in 2010 | October 13, 2010 at 10:31 AM
So Rivera is lying about something else? shocking .... It's one lie after another, not being associated with someone who does business in Cuba, not calling Joe Garcia an agent of Castro and now this. Seriously - does anyone lie more?
Posted by: Miami Resident | October 13, 2010 at 10:45 AM
It is so disturbing to have to pick the lesser of two evils that I pick the third party candidate Craig Porter. Why haven't ethics charges been filed against Rivera? Perhaps because the last time his buddies dismissed them. Great investigative work by Herald although it's clearly biased in favor of Garcia. Why not out Garcia for deceitful tactics with involvement with Roly Arrojo, the "TEA" party-not candidate? Voters are tired to politicians that will say anything to get elected.
Posted by: Tired of House of Lies | October 13, 2010 at 11:35 AM
Keep up the good job.
Alesum:summarizing the world.
Posted by: alesum | October 13, 2010 at 12:39 PM
Rubio's best friend and housemate!
Posted by: Moderate Democrat | October 13, 2010 at 12:57 PM