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The Department of Justice of the United States is investigating 145 pro-Cuba nonprofit organizations that report joint revenues of approximately 1 billion dollars annually, for allegedly coordinating political activities with officials of the Cuban government without registering as foreign agents.
The investigation, which also involves the Department of the Treasury, examines whether a Cuban diplomat directed pressure campaigns, messaging, and organization throughout the United States, potentially in violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), a 1938 law that requires transparency from those acting under the direction of a foreign government for political purposes.
The immediate trigger was the indictment of Raúl Castro: just nine minutes after Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the criminal charges against the former Cuban leader, a "rapid response network" was already active throughout the country to mobilize support for Castro and the Communist Party of Cuba.
This almost instantaneous coordination is regarded by researchers as a possible indicator of foreign influence on the political activities of these groups on U.S. soil.
Among the most visible groups is CODEPINK, an organization known for its campaigns against the embargo and for organizing travel delegations to the island, whose members have appeared at airports with signs saying "Cuba my love" and "Down with the blockade."
Fox News also identifies People's Forum, BreakThrough News, ANSWER Coalition, Party for Socialism and Liberation, and Tricontinental as part of the investigated network.
According to the report, technology entrepreneur Neville Roy Singham, based in Shanghai, allegedly channeled between 278 and 285 million dollars to this network since 2017. The People's Forum is said to have received 22.5 million dollars under investigation and purchased a building in Manhattan for 5.15 million dollars.
In addition to the 145 organizations, investigators are looking into about 40 Americans who allegedly collaborated with Cuban officials to transport supplies to Cuba in convoys and flotillas.
The investigation arises directly from the context of the formal charges against Raúl Castro, 94 years old, announced last Tuesday in Miami.
The charges include conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, destruction of aircraft, and four counts of homicide for the shooting down of two aircraft from Hermanos al Rescate on February 24, 1996, over international waters of the Florida Strait.
The four victims were Carlos Alberto Costa, Armando Alejandre Jr., Mario Manuel de la Peña, and Pablo Morales, whose bodies were never recovered.
The Cuban Embassy in Washington denied the allegations and stated that its diplomats act in accordance with Article 41 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, while the regime described the case as "political action without legal basis."
Fox News Digital points out that today's report is the first installment of a series on the allegations that the Cuban government built an influence network within the United States, which federal authorities are now investigating.
If convicted on the most serious charges, Raúl Castro could face the death penalty or life imprisonment, marking the most significant judicial action by Washington against the Cuban regime's leadership in decades.
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