A Miami federal judge on Friday sentenced former congressman David Rivera to 10 years in prison over a secret $50 million lobbying campaign for Venezuela.

Judge Melissa Damian denounced the Republican for betraying his life’s mission. In May, a jury found Rivera guilty on all counts, including failing to register as a foreign agent and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

The lobbying effort aimed to persuade the first Trump administration to ease sanctions on Venezuela. Prosecutors had sought more than 20 years in prison, while Rivera’s lawyers argued for a maximum of one year.

Rivera, 61, is a longtime friend of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Trial testimony came from Rubio, Representative Pete Sessions and a top Washington lobbyist, all of whom said they felt betrayed by Rivera’s secret contract with a US-based affiliate of Venezuela’s state oil company PDVSA.

Rivera plans to appeal and applied for a presidential pardon in June. He also faces separate federal charges in Washington DC over related foreign lobbying.

Why it matters: the case exposes Miami’s role as a crossroads for foreign influence campaigns targeting US policy on Latin America.