Posted on Wed, Jan. 11, 2006
Arrests of academics latest in long line of alleged Cuba spies
CURT ANDERSON
Associated Press
MIAMI - The arrest of two unassuming academics on charges of spying for Cuba for decades serves as a stark reminder that the Cold War still rages between Fidel Castro's communist government and the United States, especially the Cuban-American exiles who vehemently oppose Castro.
"Maybe this is just the tip of the iceberg that we're seeing here," said Juan Clark, a Miami-Dade College sociology professor who specializes in Cuba. "I think Castro has been able to potentially infiltrate as many people as they wanted."
Carlos Alvarez, 61, and his 55-year-old wife Elsa Alvarez, both of whom had positions at Florida International University, are being held without bail on charges that they secretly spied for Cuba for nearly 30 years. They each face up to 10 years in prison if convicted of failing to register as agents of a foreign power.
If the charges are true, they are the latest in a long line of Cuban spies operating in the United States since Castro took power in 1959. Cuba's state-controlled media has not commented on the couple's arrest and officials at Cuba's U.S. mission in Washington did not return two telephone calls seeking comment.
Prominent past cases include the so-called Wasp Network, a group of 16 operatives who sought to infiltrate U.S. military posts as well as spy on Cuban exiles, and that of Ana B. Montes, a former Defense Intelligence Agency analyst who pleaded guilty in 2001 to spying for Cuba for 16 years. The U.S. government has also expelled numerous Cuban diplomats for alleged spying, most recently ordering 14 to return home in 2003.
Some of those previous cases have involved military and intelligence secrets, including Pentagon contingency plans involving Cuba and profiles of senior U.S. officials. But much of the spying involves the Cuban exile groups that oppose Castro and work, mainly in Miami, to promote democracy and dissent in Cuba.
"Of course we are a legitimate threat," said Manny Vazquez, a Miami attorney who serves on the board of directors of the Cuban-American National Foundation, a leading exile group. "We want democracy in Cuba. I hope we are a threat to Castro, in a nonviolent way."
Federal prosecutors say that Carlos and Elsa Alvarez focused mainly on these exile groups, gathering information about the principals and what the organizations were doing. They also gave their Cuban handlers information about FBI agents and other federal officials, described the activities and views of South Florida politicians and provided analysis of public opinion on Cuban issues, prosecutors allege.
They did this for decades while quietly working at FIU, Carlos Alvarez as a psychology professor and Elsa Alvarez as coordinator of a social work program. They have five children between them, including a 12-year-old daughter.
No evidence has emerged that the couple passed any secret or sensitive information to Cuba. Yet even though the information they allegedly provided seems relatively harmless, U.S. officials and experts say it's not.
"They're here to watch us, learn about us and do damage to our organizations and the institutions we hold so dear," said former U.S. attorney Guy Lewis, now in private practice in Miami. "Ninety percent of it will be mundane, unimportant information. But in one case, one person leads to another, and then you end up compromising somebody."
Although most exile groups advocate nonviolent change in Cuba, Castro has cause to worry about other elements of the Cuban-American community. Last year, for example, accused Cuban airline bomber Luis Posada Carriles surfaced in Miami and one of his close associates, Santiago Alvarez, was arrested along with another man on charges of possessing a cache of military weapons amid indications they may have been intended for use against Castro's government.
"There are some organizations that advocate sabotage and advocate action inside Cuba," Clark said.
Indeed, prosecutors say the Alvarezes were trained and given technology by Cuba's Directorate of Intelligence. This allegedly included a short-wave radio used to transmit and receive coded five-digit messages, use of post office boxes around the country to send and receive computer disks and brought information to Cuban handlers during visits to the island under academic cover.
Carlos Alvarez even burned notes and other written material involved in the alleged spying and erased evidence from his computer, prosecutors say.
Cuban spies operating in the United States typically have an "exit strategy," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Frazier. This involves prearranged escape routes, hidden travel documents, fake identities and names of contacts that can provide safe transit if the spies are detected.
Although these charges are important, the bigger picture for the U.S. government in the case of Carlos and Elsa Alvarez is using the threat of prison to persuade the couple to provide details about their Cuban handlers, how they went about their spying and who else may be involved within the United States.
"That's as important, or maybe even more important, than actual prosecution," Lewis said.
The Alvarezes face a Jan. 19 hearing in federal court to enter a plea, which their attorneys indicated would be not guilty. Prosecutors said most of the case is based on statements the couple gave to the FBI last summer as well as information retrieved during a search of their home and a computer hard drive.
Associated Press writer Adrian Sainz contributed to this story.
http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/breaking_news/13601388.htm
Arrests of academics latest in long line of alleged Cuba spies
CURT ANDERSON
Associated Press
MIAMI - The arrest of two unassuming academics on charges of spying for Cuba for decades serves as a stark reminder that the Cold War still rages between Fidel Castro's communist government and the United States, especially the Cuban-American exiles who vehemently oppose Castro.
"Maybe this is just the tip of the iceberg that we're seeing here," said Juan Clark, a Miami-Dade College sociology professor who specializes in Cuba. "I think Castro has been able to potentially infiltrate as many people as they wanted."
Carlos Alvarez, 61, and his 55-year-old wife Elsa Alvarez, both of whom had positions at Florida International University, are being held without bail on charges that they secretly spied for Cuba for nearly 30 years. They each face up to 10 years in prison if convicted of failing to register as agents of a foreign power.
If the charges are true, they are the latest in a long line of Cuban spies operating in the United States since Castro took power in 1959. Cuba's state-controlled media has not commented on the couple's arrest and officials at Cuba's U.S. mission in Washington did not return two telephone calls seeking comment.
Prominent past cases include the so-called Wasp Network, a group of 16 operatives who sought to infiltrate U.S. military posts as well as spy on Cuban exiles, and that of Ana B. Montes, a former Defense Intelligence Agency analyst who pleaded guilty in 2001 to spying for Cuba for 16 years. The U.S. government has also expelled numerous Cuban diplomats for alleged spying, most recently ordering 14 to return home in 2003.
Some of those previous cases have involved military and intelligence secrets, including Pentagon contingency plans involving Cuba and profiles of senior U.S. officials. But much of the spying involves the Cuban exile groups that oppose Castro and work, mainly in Miami, to promote democracy and dissent in Cuba.
"Of course we are a legitimate threat," said Manny Vazquez, a Miami attorney who serves on the board of directors of the Cuban-American National Foundation, a leading exile group. "We want democracy in Cuba. I hope we are a threat to Castro, in a nonviolent way."
Federal prosecutors say that Carlos and Elsa Alvarez focused mainly on these exile groups, gathering information about the principals and what the organizations were doing. They also gave their Cuban handlers information about FBI agents and other federal officials, described the activities and views of South Florida politicians and provided analysis of public opinion on Cuban issues, prosecutors allege.
They did this for decades while quietly working at FIU, Carlos Alvarez as a psychology professor and Elsa Alvarez as coordinator of a social work program. They have five children between them, including a 12-year-old daughter.
No evidence has emerged that the couple passed any secret or sensitive information to Cuba. Yet even though the information they allegedly provided seems relatively harmless, U.S. officials and experts say it's not.
"They're here to watch us, learn about us and do damage to our organizations and the institutions we hold so dear," said former U.S. attorney Guy Lewis, now in private practice in Miami. "Ninety percent of it will be mundane, unimportant information. But in one case, one person leads to another, and then you end up compromising somebody."
Although most exile groups advocate nonviolent change in Cuba, Castro has cause to worry about other elements of the Cuban-American community. Last year, for example, accused Cuban airline bomber Luis Posada Carriles surfaced in Miami and one of his close associates, Santiago Alvarez, was arrested along with another man on charges of possessing a cache of military weapons amid indications they may have been intended for use against Castro's government.
"There are some organizations that advocate sabotage and advocate action inside Cuba," Clark said.
Indeed, prosecutors say the Alvarezes were trained and given technology by Cuba's Directorate of Intelligence. This allegedly included a short-wave radio used to transmit and receive coded five-digit messages, use of post office boxes around the country to send and receive computer disks and brought information to Cuban handlers during visits to the island under academic cover.
Carlos Alvarez even burned notes and other written material involved in the alleged spying and erased evidence from his computer, prosecutors say.
Cuban spies operating in the United States typically have an "exit strategy," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Frazier. This involves prearranged escape routes, hidden travel documents, fake identities and names of contacts that can provide safe transit if the spies are detected.
Although these charges are important, the bigger picture for the U.S. government in the case of Carlos and Elsa Alvarez is using the threat of prison to persuade the couple to provide details about their Cuban handlers, how they went about their spying and who else may be involved within the United States.
"That's as important, or maybe even more important, than actual prosecution," Lewis said.
The Alvarezes face a Jan. 19 hearing in federal court to enter a plea, which their attorneys indicated would be not guilty. Prosecutors said most of the case is based on statements the couple gave to the FBI last summer as well as information retrieved during a search of their home and a computer hard drive.
Associated Press writer Adrian Sainz contributed to this story.
http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/breaking_news/13601388.htm
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