Last week I talked about the brouhaha surrounding a “game” on illegal immigrants at the school I attend- New York University. Not comes word that this week a verdict is expected at the trial of a former professor from my alma mater- Florida International University- who pled guilty to charges of spying for Cuba. Prosecutors in the case of Carlos Alvarez and his wife Elsa are seeking the maximum penalty- five years in jail- for the couple who supposedly relayed information on Cuban exile groups and prominent members to Cuban intelligence services. Yet Alvarez’ attorney claimed that he was “ensnared” in a web while trying to “open avenues of communication” between the U.S. and Cuba.
Update: The prosecutors got their wish- Carlos and Elsa Alvarez were sentenced on Tuesday to 5 years in prison. (Link via China Daily)
Links- The Latin Americanist, theledger.com, CBS4.com, NBC6.net
Image- CBS4.com
2 comments:
Is it possible to be involved in espionage/spying when only one government (Cuba) is involved? Were they charged with spying on the US government???
This really doesn't make any sense, at least to those of us in the real world outside the city of Miami.
I'm not 100% sure on the case's details but it would seem like Alvarez gave sensitive information to Cuban intelligence. That's certainly grounds for spying. (Whther his data was "sensitive" in the first place is up to interpretation).
This certainly does sound like something Carl Hiaasen would write, huh?
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