{"id":8180,"date":"2026-05-20T17:02:50","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T17:02:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8180"},"modified":"2026-05-20T17:02:50","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T17:02:50","slug":"us-is-expected-to-announce-criminal-case-against-former-cuban-president-raul-castro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8180","title":{"rendered":"US is expected to announce criminal case against former Cuban President Ra\u00fal Castro"},"content":{"rendered":"

By JOSHUA GOODMAN and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER, Associated Press<\/strong><\/p>\n

MIAMI (AP) \u2014 The Justice Department was expected\u00a0to announce a criminal case\u00a0Wednesday against\u00a0former Cuban President Ra\u00fal Castro\u00a0as the Trump administration escalates pressure on the socialist government, according to two people familiar with the matter.<\/p>

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Federal prosecutors in Miami\u00a0were preparing an indictment\u00a0related to Castro\u2019s alleged role in the 1996 downing of two planes operated by the Miami-based exile group Brothers to the Rescue. Castro, now 94, was Cuba\u2019s defense minister\u00a0at the time.<\/p>\n

The expected charges include murder and destruction of an airplane, one of the people familiar with the matter said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the case ahead of the announcement.<\/p>\n

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and other top Justice Department officials were expected to be in Miami on Wednesday for a ceremony to honor those killed in the shootdown.<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump has been threatening military action in Cuba ever since U.S. forces captured the Cuban government\u2019s longtime patron, Venezuelan President\u00a0Nicol\u00e1s Maduro. After ousting Maduro, the White House ordered a blockade that choked off fuel shipments to Cuba, leading to severe blackouts,\u00a0food shortages\u00a0and an economic collapse across the island.<\/p>\n

Since Maduro\u2019s capture, Trump has ratcheted up talk of regime change in Cuba after pledging earlier this year to conduct a\u00a0\u201cfriendly takeover\u201d of the country\u00a0if its leadership did not open its economy to American investment and kick out U.S. adversaries.<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s first administration indicted Maduro on drug-trafficking charges and used that to justify removing him from power during a surprise military raid in January that whisked the Venezuelan leader to New York to face trial.<\/p>

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday urged the Cuban people to demand a free-market economy with new leadership that he said will chart a new course in relations with the U.S.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the U.S., we are ready to open a new chapter in the relationship between our people,\u201d Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, said in a Spanish-language video message. \u201cCurrently, the only thing standing in the way of a better future are those who control your country.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cuba\u2019s deputy foreign minister, Carlos F. de Coss\u00edo lashed out at Rubio on X, saying he \u201clies so repeatedly and unscrupulously about Cuba and tries to justify the aggression he inflicts on the Cuban people.\u201d Rubio \u201cknows full well that there is no excuse for such cruel and ruthless aggression.\u201d<\/p>\n