Mariano Faget Jr.

Mariano Faget is a naturalized American citizen and was an employee of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) in Miami for over 35 years, notable for becoming at the time one of the highest-ranking Cuban-Americans at INS, and a District Supervisory Officer of the agency. Faget is the first INS official ever charged with espionage charges against the United States.

One month before his scheduled retirement from the INS in 2000, he was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on espionage charges, accused of selling information on the movements of Cuban exiles to the communist government of Cuba in exchange for business favors when the Cuba-America trade embargo would inevitably be lifted. Faget denied these charges but was found guilty on all four counts. It was revealed that he had been fed false information by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in a complex sting operation that lasted over a year, called "Operation False Blue."

This was found ironic by the Cuban exile community in Little Havana because his father, Mariano Faget Diaz, had a reputation as one of the most brutal anti-Castro and anti-Communist police officers in the Batista regime, accused of torturing and murdering those he suspected of having communist affiliations.

Journalist Alfonso Chardy at The Miami Herald wrote: "Accused Cuban spy Mariano Faget Jr. has lived a life filled with ironies."

Early life

In the summer of 1945, while his family was living in exile in Miami, Elena Faget - at nine months pregnant - flew to the family doctor's office in Havana to give birth.

As a result of his father's position in the Batista government, Castro rebels targeted Faget in order to get to his father.

Sting operation

The FBI first became suspicious of Faget in 1999 by complete accident, when they observed him meeting the target they were tracking in a bar at the Miami Airport.

One week later, the FBI announced they had arrested Faget on espionage charges.

Pedro Font Mariano Faget and Pedro Font first met as schoolmates in Cuba at the Colegio Cima when they were both children during the Batista years in the mid 50's.

Imperatori's efforts were unsuccessful. Imperatori eventually returned to Cuba, and became a hero of the Cuban state.

Detainment and imprisonment

On February 18, 2000, a preliminary hearing was held at the U.S. District Court in Miami. Faget appeared before U.S. District Judge Stephen T. Brown and entered no plea. This is the same day that the Senate appropriated over 28 million dollars to the Office of Cuba Broadcasting for further modernization of their Radio and TV Marti program.