Ex-Rep. Rivera avoids marshals trying to serve him lawsuit

“The Commission’s dili- gent efforts to serve Rivera Former U.S. Rep. David have been thwarted so far Rivera avoided criminal by Rivera’s apparent evasion charges in an unlawful camof service,” Mueller wrote in paign-finance scheme he was his request to Scola. “Rivera suspected of mastermind- is almost certainly aware of ing. Now he’s evading the this lawsuit.” feds again — this time, U.S. Four times, marshals tried marshals trying to serve him to serve Rivera in person. On with a civil lawsuit. the first occasion, three days

Since July, marshals have after the FEC sued on July attempted to formally notify 17, a deputy marshal visited Rivera in person, by phone, Rivera’s townhouse, inside by overnight mail and via a Doral gated community. email that the Federal Elec“The Deputy Marshal tion Commission sued him, then encountered an indiseeking $486,000 in penal- vidual in the driveway at ties for at least $69,000 in that address who ‘refused unreported campaign cash to answer questions’ regardRivera funneled to a ringer ing Rivera,” Mueller wrote. candidate in 2012. The marshals tried him

Each time, Rivera, a 2018 again there on July 24, to candidate for the Florida no avail.

House of Representatives, On July 25 and 26, they vishas eluded them. ited two other addresses linked

His unknown whereto Rivera in Fontainebleau and abouts — and a delay of ser- West Kendall. No luck. vice attempts due to HurriOn Oct. 4, Mueller called cane Irma — prompted FEC Rivera’s cellphone and got attorney Greg J. Mueller to a voicemail message noting ask U.S. District Judge Robhe was out of the country. A ert Scola on Thursday for 60 Miami Herald reporter got more days to serve Rivera. the same message Friday Scola granted the request when she telephoned and Friday, giving the feds until texted Rivera.

Dec. 11 to serve the lawsuit. “He may also coinciden- tally have been out of the country for an extended period of time since the complaint was filed,” Mueller noted in his request.

Several Florida news outlets have covered the lawsuit, filed July 17. About a month later, the statute of limitations expired in a federal investigation in which Rivera was suspected of orchestrating a scheme to unlawfully finance congressional candidate Justin Lamar Sternad against Joe Garcia in the 2012 Democratic primary. Garcia won and ultimately defeated Rivera, then a oneterm incumbent.

Assistant U.S. Attorney ho mas Mulv i hill twice ide n tified Rivera as t he case’s “Co-Conspirator A” in open court, but Rivera was never charged. Sternad and another conspirator, political consultant Ana Alliegro, who is also Rivera’s ex-girlfriend, served jail time.

The FEC waited until the criminal case ran its course before pursuing civil penalties against Rivera in July.

Rivera was spotted as recently as Sept. 27 in Coral Gables.

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