NEWS: Florida Couple Accused of Spying for Cuba

A Florida couple, both employees of Florida International University, have been accused by the FBI of spying on behalf of the communist regime in Cuba. Carlos M. Alvarez, 61, and wife Elsa, 65, are being held without bond on charges of failing to register as foreign agents. The FBI says the duo used short-wave radios, encrypted computer communications, and other techniques to transmit sensitive information to Fidel Castro's government, as well as taking several academic trips to the island nation that may have served as a cover to meet with Cuban agents. The couple faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted on the charges.

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It seems the cold war is still raging between the U.S. and Cuba's anachronistic communist regime. It's good that these people were caught, it looks like their activities put Cuban dissidents' lives in danger for years.

Spying for Cuba, what a joke.

Seems the FBI need to move into the next century.

It is not a joke Netchicken. There are still spies of castro in the U.S., although several of them have been caught throughout the years, I am sure there still remain a lot more, many of them probably hold positions of importance in the government and other agencies.

[edit on 10-1-2006 by Muaddib]

I am sure there are spies from cuba. My point was, vague I admit, but I meant to say "so what".

Just what threat does Cuba, now shorn of its Russian benefactors, pose to America? Stupid paranoia of the worst kind.

Whats next, FBI find Fijian spies in America?

Well for starters the Cuban regime continues to bash at the U.S. and has some allies in this bashing, so any spies from such countries is no "small matter."

Second the Cuban regime has has renewed some of it's ties with the Russian benefactors, as the latest visit to Cuba by Army General Yuri Baluyevsky, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces shows, and by his own statements about his reasons for being in the island.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

I don't see it as "nothing to worry about" when spies of castro are found working in the U.S. and having prominent jobs.

You realize that pretty much every country short of zanzibar has agents in our country. You also realize that our country has agents planted in pretty much every country, right? It's the old intelligence warfare game. We spy, they spy, its just a thing everybody does.

I am with Muaddib on this. When you consider the newly renewed ties between Cuba and Russia there certainly is something to worry about here.

What I find odd is why it took them 40 years to figure out he was a spy, that too me indicates our FBI and Intel agencies have been very lax in their job, which is not a good thing

Exactly what kind of "sensitive information" would these people have access to in the first place. I mean correct me if I 'm wrong but the two accused are a professor and a college counselor respectively. Doesn't exactly sound as if they'd have much access to top secret info.

Yeah, because the Cuban government never would have though of selling/trading the information to China, or Iran, or N. Korea, or Venezuela, or...





Here at Eastern Michigan University (my uni I attend and work at) there are at least two, and quite possibly more, government research and development programs. Both have to do with chemistry. One is on creating new heat ablative materials, the other is something to dow ith developing new types of paints to be used for military vehicles.

I'm sure with paying off the right people, or making friends in the right departments, or just being good at getting information off computers would make it quite easy to get at that stuff.

Oh, and by the way, the chemistry programs I know of, they have some sort of security clearance on them. It may not be Top Secret, but it's definitely not in the open air sort of stuff.

[edit on 1/10/2006 by cmdrkeenkid]

Anyone found "spying on America" should automaticly be killed thats what i think people like this u don't just "deport'em" they try again just plain and simple kill'em and ship there body's to Cuba's doorsteps

Netchicken--I'm with you--who the frack cares about Cuba. I'm more worried about Bush spying on us.

I'm in agreement with NetFed..er..Chicken.

I mean really, how much of a threat could Cuba be, and even if Russia is friends with them, the last time I checked Russia was not our enemy.

Jamie6661986,
So anyone, even if there British and spying for Britain, should be killed?
Let me ask you something, if an American spy was killed in some other country for spying, and it became public knowledge, how would you feel/react about it, and how do you think the general populace would feel/react about it?

Are you so sure about that?

Why do they keep selling military technology of all types, including nuclear technology to regimes that call themselves "enemies of the U.S." With friends like that who needs enemies?

Maudib--No one has sold more weapons to unfriendly governments than us. We continue to sell weapons capable technology to China.

I'm afraid this thread needs to end--Cuba just doesn't cause me to loose sleep. My Government does.

Sorry, this may have been posted already since I haven't quite read any posts after this yet but I just felt the need to say this:

The US is notorious for and historically has always had the worst intelligence than almost any nation to date especially in any of our wars.

Though I can't say much on the civil war

Considering what's been going on in South America lately, and even the current situation in Cuba, it's no surprise that these people were picked up at this time.

The sentiment represented by those in South America such as Venezuela's Chavez is something that will become a larger problem in the future for the US if nothing is done to contain it. Naturally partnerships with Cuba, a longtime anti-american stronghold (if you can call it that, nice cars though) would be expected, and already exist.

As for Cuba itself, Castro is not long for this world, and it's only a matter of time before the question of who's next comes up. Will the US use that as an opportunity to either stage a political invasion, or maybe a real military action?

There is undobutedly a large group of people in Washington who are tasked with planning and dealing with this as a part of the larger planning for South America and the Carribean.

As for this story, it's obviously news in Miami, where there are many Cubans... maybe not so important to the US as if we found anyone from the middle east. (They're already here, and there are reasons why they are not 'found') When we start exposing people from that part of the world, you know there is trouble coming.

Removed post after reading the article better, DavenMan.

[edit on 11-1-2006 by davenman]

There is an arms embargo on China which the U.S. is still asking to remain in place....so i don't know where you get "the U.S. government sells weapons to China."

Really?

and your evidence for saying this is?

Mauddib--I said weapons capable technology. IBM sold them a whole division of weapons capable technology, but nobody noticed. Thank God it didn't happen on Clinton's watch.