Dec 15, 2006 6:48 pm US/Eastern
FIU Couple To Make Plea Deals In Castro Agent Case
by Brian Andrews
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
A former Florida International University professor and his wife, both accused of being spies for the Cuban government, have cut deals with prosecutors in order to avoid the possibility of long prison sentences.
CBS4 News has learned Carlos Alvarez, 61, has agreed to plead guilty to a lesser charge of conspiring to act as a foreign agent, at a special hearing set to take place on Tuesday.
As a result, he faces a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison, instead of ten years.
His wife Elsa, will plead guilty to a lesser criminal charge as well. It's a charge of "misprision of a felony" which means she knew that her husband was talking to the Cuban government and didn't report it to authorities.
Her agreement carries a maximum of three years in prison, but the judge could impose a sentence of time served while she was in federal custody. She served about six months before being freed on bond in June.
Sources close to the case say the Alvarez family and their lawyers were devastated by a judge's recent ruling denying a motion to suppress statements Alvarez made to FBI agents based on the fact that agents had promised him they wouldn't prosecute him if he cooperated as a "double agent".
Neither prosecutors nor defense attorneys have commented about the new developments.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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