Judge blasts prosecutors' handling of Venezuela case against ex-Miami congressman
A federal judge in Miami blasted prosecutors for an attempt to undercut a court order and try to take control of an oceanside condo belonging to a former Republican Congressman ahead of a high-profile trial connected to a $50 million consulting contrac... MIAMI -- A federal judge in Miami on Friday blasted prosecutors for an apparent attempt to disavow a court order and take control of a oceanside condo belonging to a former Republican Congressman ahead of a high-profile trial connected to a $50 million consulting contract with Venezuela's socialist government. When David Rivera and an associate were charged last November with money laundering and acting as unregistered foreign agents for President Nicolás Maduro's government, prosecutors obtained a judge’s order freezing around $24 million from banking and brokerage accounts as well as Florida properties that they said were the product of ill-gotten gains. Prosecutors also blocked eight more properties belonging to Rivera an...