Made world headlines when she claimed that the evening gown and make-up she used for the Miss Puerto Rico Universe pageant held in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Friday, November 23, 2007 were spiked by an unknown person with pepper spray. She claimed that she received threats and was sabotaged in order to jeopardize her chances of winning the pageant because she was overqualified due to her participation in the 2005 Miss World Pageant. She won the pageant that night and was escorted by police.
After police investigations were concluded on December 1, it was determined that there were no traces of pepper spray either on dress or make-up which caused many in the media to believe it was a hoax. Rivera stood by her claim and went on a junket of interviews to defend herself.