A Cuban diplomat in the U.S. is under investigation for allegedly engaging in influence operations in favor of the regime

Federal authorities are investigating the Cuban diplomat David Ramírez Álvarez for coordinating a regime influence campaign on U.S. soil.



David Ramírez ÁlvarezPhoto © X / DvidTwit

Related videos:

U.S. federal authorities are investigating David Ramírez Álvarez, Second Secretary of the Cuban Embassy in Washington D.C., for allegedly coordinating a malign foreign influence campaign on American soil, as revealed today by Fox News Digital through journalist Asra Nomani.

The investigation is the second installment of a series regarding allegations that the Cuban regime built a network of influence within the United States. It is part of a broader legal offensive by the Department of Justice and the Department of the Treasury, which is already examining 145 pro-Cuba nonprofit organizations with combined annual revenues of approximately 1 billion dollars.

A video obtained by Fox News shows Ramírez Álvarez greeting American activists by their first names during a Saturday night strategy session in a California union hall.

In that recorded meeting, the diplomat informs them about Congressional legislation, lobbying objectives, and national organizing efforts to pressure lawmakers in favor of Havana.

"What I can do is provide you with an update on what is happening right now in Congress, what legislative actions are being pushed at this moment," said Ramírez Álvarez in the video.

The diplomat detailed bills aimed at lifting the embargo: one in the Senate sponsored by Senator Ron Wyden from Oregon, and another in the House of Representatives by Congressman James McGovern from Massachusetts.

It also analyzed a resolution by Representative Nydia Velázquez that condemns the Monroe Doctrine with a specific paragraph about Cuba, and a war powers resolution by Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, which was defeated 52 to 47 in the Senate.

Ramírez Álvarez noted that only one Democrat, Senator John Fetterman, voted against his party on that resolution, while two Republicans—Rand Paul and Susan Collins—voted alongside the Democrats.

The federal investigation examines whether these activities constitute foreign direction over U.S. political groups without the required registration under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) of 1938, the intentional violation of which may lead to criminal liability.

Investigators are also examining the diplomat's connections to ICAP (Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples), a Cuban state entity created to project political influence abroad, which declassified CIA documents describe as "designed to organize associations in foreign countries that respond to the direction of Havana."

Among the groups identified in the investigated network are CODEPINK, People's Forum, BreakThrough News, ANSWER Coalition, Party for Socialism and Liberation, and Tricontinental.

The tech entrepreneur Neville Roy Singham, based in Shanghai, is said to have channeled between 278 and 285 million dollars to this network since 2017.

The immediate trigger for the legal offensive was the formal charge against Raúl Castro on May 20 for the downing of Brothers to the Rescue planes in 1996, which resulted in the deaths of four Cuban Americans.

Nine minutes after Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the charges against Castro, a rapid response network was already activated nationwide to mobilize support for the regime, a coordination that investigators consider a possible indicator of foreign direction.

Simultaneously, federal agents summoned U.S. activists connected to supply convoys to Cuba, and the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) summoned streamer Hasan Piker and activist Medea Benjamin for their involvement in the "Nuestra América Convoy" to Cuba in March 2026.

The Cuban Embassy in Washington rejected the accusations and stated that its diplomats act in accordance with Article 41 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Ramírez Álvarez was not made available for interviews.

Filed under:

CiberCuba Editorial Team

A team of journalists committed to reporting on Cuban current affairs and topics of global interest. At CiberCuba, we work to deliver truthful news and critical analysis.