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Alan Phillip GrossFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Alan Phillip Gross (born May 2, 1949)[1] is a U.S. international development professional. In December 2009

he was arrested while in Cuba working as a U.S. government subcontractor for the U.S. Agency for

International Development (USAID) as part of a program funded under the 1996 Helms-Burton Act.[2] He was

prosecuted in 2011 after being accused of crimes against the Cuban state for bringing satellite phones and

computer equipment (to members of Cuba’s Jewish community) without the permit required under Cuban law.[3] After being accused of working for American intelligence services in January 2010, he was ultimately

convicted for “acts against the independence or the territorial integrity of the state" in March 2011,[4] and is

currently serving a 15-year prison sentence in Cuba.[2]

Contents

◾ 1 Life and career

◾ 2 Arrest and trial

◾ 2.1 Background

◾ 2.2 Arrest

◾ 2.3 Charges

◾ 2.4 Indictment

◾ 2.5 Reactions and advocacy

◾ 2.6 Health Condition

◾ 3 Lawsuits

◾ 4 References

◾ 5 External links

Life and career

Gross was born in New York[1] and later moved to Maryland.[5] He studied social work at the University of

Maryland and the Virginia Commonwealth University. He had a long career as an international development

worker who had been active in some 50 countries and territories across the Middle East, Africa, and Europe,[6]

including Iraq and Afghanistan, where he was setting up satellite communications systems to circumvent state-

controlled channels.[7]

In 2001, he founded Joint Business Development Center, a small company earning less than US$70,000 in

2009, which supports "Internet connectivity in locations where there [is] little or no access", according to the

New York Times.[8] Gross and his wife Judy lived in Potomac, a Washington, D.C. suburb. The couple has two

daughters.[9]

Arrest and trial

Background

Gross was working with Development Alternatives Inc. (DAI), a contractor working with USAID who had

won a US$6 million U.S. government contract for the program in which Gross was involved, a controversial

"democracy-promotion program" that ballooned under the Bush administration, to provide communications

equipment to break the Cuban government's 'information blockade'.[9] Gross received more than US$500,000,

despite the fact that he spoke little Spanish and had not worked in Cuba before.[10]

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USAID's US$20 million Cuba program, authorized by a law calling for regime change in Cuba, has been

criticized repeatedly in congressional reports as being wasteful and ineffective, and putting people in danger.[11] Funding was held up briefly in 2010 over concerns following Gross′s arrest.[10]

Before his arrest, Gross visited Cuba four times in five months in 2009 on a tourist visa, according to

American officials to deliver computer and satellite equipment to three Jewish community groups. In

December 2009, according to Development Alternatives Inc., he was on a follow-up trip, researching how the

groups were making use of the equipment he had previously distributed to them.[8] As reported by the Jewish

Daily Forward, Cuba's small Jewish community of less than 2,000 people who mainly live in Havana, enjoys

religious freedom, the possibility to emigrate to Israel, and has fairly good relations with the government under

Raúl Castro,[2] but has little influence, making observers wonder why the United States provides material to

them under a USAID program that usually targets dissidents. According to a Latin America specialist for the

Council on Foreign Relations it is possible that Gross’s mission was useful only in as much as it satisfied

Congressional demand to take action in Cuba.[12]

In January 2012, it was reported that Cuban authorities claim that Gross has visited Cuba as early as 2004,

delivering a video camera to a leading Freemason who later declared that he had been a Cuban intelligence

agent since 2000.[13]

Gross filed reports for USAID of his four visits to Cuba in 2009. The report of the fifth and final trip was

written by a representative of Gross' company.[14] A review of the reports was revealed on February 12, 2012,

by the Associated Press (AP). According to the reports, Gross was aware of the risks he was taking.[15] AP

reports that Gross did not identify himself as a representative of the U.S. government, but claimed to be a

member of a Jewish humanitarian group. To escape Cuban authorities' detection, he enlisted the help of

American Jews to transport electronic equipment, instructing them to pack items a piece at a time in carry-on

luggage, and also travelled with American Jewish humanitarian groups doing missions on the island so he

could intercede with Cuban authorities if questions arose. Gross declared that he was thoroughly inspected by

the customs officials at Jose Marti International Airport when entering the country, and that he declared all of

the items in his possession.[16] The equipment he brought to Cuba on his fourth trip, most, but not all of which

is legal in Cuba, included 12 iPods, 11 BlackBerry Curve smartphones, three MacBooks, six 500-gigabyte

external drives, three Internet satellite phones known as BGANs, three routers, three controllers, 18 wireless

access points, 13 memory sticks, three VoIP phones, and networking switches. In his report on this trip,

marked as final, he summarized: “Wireless networks established in three communities; about 325 users”.

However, he went to Cuba for a fifth time in late November 2009, and was arrested 11 days later.[14] When he

was arrested, he was carrying a high-tech chip,[15] intended to keep satellite phone transmissions from being

located within 250 miles (400 kilometres). The chip is not available on the open market. It is provided most

frequently to the CIA and the Defense Department, but can also be obtained by the State Department, which

oversees USAID. Asked how Gross obtained the card, a USAID spokesman said that the agency played no role

in helping Gross acquire equipment.[14]

Arrest

Gross was arrested on December 3, 2009 at the Havana Airport.[17] He was jailed at Villa Marista prison, a

detention center.[18] According to classified U.S. diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks which show that the

arrest came amid heightened tensions between Cuba and the U.S., Gross spent 25 days in jail before receiving

his first visit from a U.S. diplomat, but was visited by a Cuban attorney earlier and was allowed to telephone

his wife three days after his arrest on December 6 for the first time and again on December 23. During the one

hour visit by the U.S. consul general in Havana on December 28, 2009, Gross stated that Cuban officials were

"treating him 'with respect', though his interrogation had been 'very intense at first', lasting an average of two

hours a day". According to the cable, the cell Gross had to share with two other men had a TV and a fan.[17]

The attorney who visited Gross in jail, Armanda Nuria Piñero Sierra, was hired as Gross' lawyer and handled

his trial and appeals. She also represents the families of five Cubans held in U.S. prisons, after being convicted

in 2001 on charges of conspiracy to commit espionage against U.S. military installations, leading to the

immediate speculation after Gross' arrest, that Cuba wanted to swap him for the five Cubans.[17] In October



2011, it was revealed that the U.S. State Department had offered to let one of them who had been released

from prison in the U.S. on probation serve the remainder of his probation in Cuba, in exchange for Gross'

release.[19]

US Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen said Gross' treatment was an attempt by Cuba to get a 'concession'.[8]

Many Jewish groups, including the Conference of Presidents of Major North American Organizations and the

American Jewish Committee, protested against his detention.[20]

Charges

In January 2010, Ricardo Alarcón, the president of the Cuban National Assembly, claimed Gross was

"contracted to work for American intelligence services", an allegation denied by both the U.S. government and

Gross′s attorneys. Gross's trial was set on March 4, 2011.[9][21] More than a year later, Gross was charged in

February 2011 not with espionage but with "Acts against the Independence and Territorial Integrity of the

State" ("Actos Contra la Independencia o la Integridad Territorial del Estado"),[22] facing up to 20 years in

prison.[21]

Indictment

On March 12, 2011, Gross was sentenced to 15 years in prison.[18][23] According to the Cuban News Agency,

he had been part of a "subversive project of the U.S. government that aimed to destroy the Revolution through

the use of communication systems out of the control of authorities".[23] Gross′ wife attended the trial with her

attorney. Three U.S. officials also attended as observers.[18]

Gross's case was appealed to the Supreme Court of Cuba, which affirmed the sentence in August 2011.[24]

Reactions and advocacy

After the sentence was passed, Gross' American attorney Peter J. Kahn said in a written statement: "The Gross

family is devastated by the verdict and harsh sentence announced today by the Cuban authorities. Having

already served a 15-month sentence in a Cuban prison, Alan and his family have paid an enormous personal

price in the long-standing political feud between Cuba and the United States". Kahn pledged to "continue to

work with Alan's Cuban attorney in exploring any and all options available to him, including the possibility of

an appeal". He also called for Gross' immediate release on humanitarian grounds.[18]

U.S. National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor responded to the ruling, saying that it "adds another

injustice to Alan Gross's ordeal", and that "he has already spent too many days in detention and should not

spend one more", and asked for "the immediate release of Mr. Gross so that he can return home to his wife and

family".[18]

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters that Gross had been "unjustly jailed for far too long... He

needs to be able to leave Cuba and return home", adding "this is a matter of great personal pain to his family

and concern to the U.S. government".[18]

Several members of Congress have visited Cuba to see Gross.[25]

The Jewish community and others called on Pope Benedict XVI to appeal to Raul Castro during his visit to

Cuba in March 2012 to release Gross.[12]

Gross's wife, after fighting to persuade the organized Jewish community to rally behind a humanitarian

campaign to free her husband, has publicly criticized President Barack Obama and U.S. policy toward Cuba.[12] In a March 13, 2012 interview with Politico, after having hired the public relations company Burson-

Marsteller allegedly on the State Department′s recommendation,[12] she called her husband a "pawn" in a

"failed policy" between the Cuban and American governments, adding "the trial wasn’t about him. It was



about USAID and U.S. policy towards Cuba".[25] Gross reportedly insists that his "goals were not the same as

the program that sent [him]," and called on the Obama administration to meet Cuba at the negotiating table to

solve bilateral issues between the two states, including his case.[26]

Health Condition

Reportedly, Gross' health has deteriorated during his incarceration. According to his wife and attorney, he has

lost over 100 pounds (48 kg), has degenerative arthritis and is having difficulty walking. In May 2012, a mass

developed on his right shoulder, which was diagnosed by Cuban doctors as a hematoma (collection of blood).[27][28] But a U.S. radiologist consulted by Gross' family stated that the mass was improperly diagnosed, and

that Gross could be suffering from cancer,[29] which prompted Gross's new U.S. attorney Jared Genser, a

Washington-based international human rights attorney to file a petition to the UN Special Rapporteur on

Torture.[30] At the same time, "extremely concerned about Alan Gross' health,"[27] the U.S. State Department

called for Gross's immediate release.[31]

On the other hand, the president of the Hebrew Community of Cuba, who has visited Gross in jail several

times, claimed that Gross "looked very agile" and was not particularly worried about the mass on his shoulder.[32] In November 2012, the Miami Herald reported that New York Rabbi Elie Abadie, who is also a physician,

told The Associated Press that “Alan Gross does not have any cancerous growth at this time, at least based on

the studies I was shown and based on the examination, and I think he understands that also,” after personally

examining Gross and receiving a briefing from a team of Cuban physicians who attended Gross. The Cuban

Foreign Affairs Ministry, in a statement detailing a meeting between diplomats of the U.S. Interests Section in

Havana, a doctor and nurse from the U.S. mission, and members of the Cuban medical team that presented the

results of the biopsy performed on the lesion behind Gross's right shoulder, confirmed that the hematoma was

not carcinogenic.[33] The Cuban Government also maintains that Gross's health is normal for a man his age and

that he is being properly treated, after having stated a few months earlier that Gross, who is held at a military

hospital, "could be held at any prison facility" in what is seen as a thinly veiled warning.[27]

Lawsuits

In November 2012, Gross and his wife, Judith, sued Development Alternatives Inc. (DAI) and USAID for

failing to adequately prepare, train and supervise him given the dangerous nature of the program's activities.

Reportedly, they are seeking $60 million compensatory damages. They filed another lawsuit, reportedly

seeking $10 million from Gross' insurer Federal Insurance Company for benefits they say the company has

denied.[34]

References

1. ^ a b "About Alan" (http://www.bringalanhome.org/about_alan.shtml). bringalanhome.org/ official site of the Gross family.

2. ^ a b c Guttman, Nathan (November 21, 2011). "New Jewish Push To Free Alan Gross" (http://forward.com/articles/146401/). The Jewish Daily Forward. Retrieved 2011-12-07.

3. ^ Ukman, Jason. "Cuba rejects appeal of U.S. contractor Alan Gross" (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/checkpoint-washington/post/cuba-rejects-appeal-of-us-contractor-alan-gross/2011/08/05/gIQAfT0ewI_blog.html). The Washington Post. Retrieved 2011-12-07.

4. ^ "Sentence" (http://www.bringalanhome.org/newsroom/Decision.pdf). People's Provincial Tribunal of Havanna.5. ^ "Jewish-American contractor Alan Gross sentenced to 15 years in Cuba jail" (http://www.haaretz.com/print-

edition/news/jewish-american-contractor-alan-gross-sentenced-to-15-years-in-cuba-jail-1.348811). Haaretz. The Associated Press. March 13, 2011. Retrieved 2011-12-07.

6. ^ "Alan Gross Begins Fourth Year of Unjust Imprisonment" (http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2012/12/201383.htm). US Department of State.

7. ^ Landau, Saul (August 31, 2010). "The Alan Gross Case" (http://www.cuba-solidarity.org/news.asp?ItemID=1883). Institute for Policy Studies. Cuba Solidarity Campaign. Retrieved 2011-12-07.



8. ^ a b c Thompson, Ginger; Lacey, Marc (January 12, 2010). "Contractor Jailed in Cuba Was Aiding Religious Groups, U.S. Says" (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/13/world/americas/13havana.html). The New York Times. Archived (http://web.archive.org/web/20110202095817/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/13/world/americas/13havana.html) from the original on 2 February 2011. Retrieved 2011-03-14.

9. ^ a b c Sheridan, Mary Beth; Booth, William (January 13, 2010). "Detainee was helping Cuban Jewish groups involved in U.S. democracy project" (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/12/AR2010011203213.html). The Washington Post. Retrieved 2011-03-14.

10. ^ a b Haven, Paul (March 12, 2011). "American contractor found guilty in Cuba" (http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/03/12/2111927/american-contractor-found-guilty.html). The Miami

Herald. Associated Press. Retrieved 2011-12-07.11. ^ Padgett, Tim (August 9, 2011). "The Alan Gross Affair: The U.S. and Cuba Begin Their Dysfunctional

Diplomatic Dance" (http://globalspin.blogs.time.com/2011/08/09/the-alan-gross-affair-the-u-s-and-cuba-begin-their-dysfunctional-diplomatic-dance/). Time Magazine. Retrieved 2011-12-07.

12. ^ a b c d Berger, Paul (March 23, 2012). "New Tactic in Alan Gross Fight" (http://www.forward.com/articles/153492/new-tactic-in-alan-gross-fight/?p=all). The Jewish Daily Forward. Retrieved 2012-03-28.

13. ^ Tamayo, Juan O. (January 26, 2012). "Details of Cuba's case against U.S. subcontractor Alan Gross leak out" (http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/01/26/2609266/details-of-cubas-case-against.html). Retrieved February 17, 2012.

14. ^ a b c Butler, Desmond (February 13, 2012). "AP Impact: USAID contractor work in Cuba detailed" (http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9SSHGPG2.htm). Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved February 17, 2012.

15. ^ a b Berger, Paul (February 15, 2012). "What Did Alan Gross Do in Cuba? Reports Show Accused Spy Knew the Risks He Was Taking" (http://www.forward.com/articles/151432/?p=all). The Jewish Daily Forward. Retrieved February 17, 2012.

16. ^ "Declaration by Alan P. Gross, 243444, Ref: Preparatory File Number 59 of 2009, Case Number 1/11, Mar. 4, 2011".

17. ^ a b c Tamayo, Juan O. (September 1, 2011). "WikiLeaks: Cables detail concerns of U.S. contractor held in Cuba" (http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/09/01/2385954/wikileaks-cables-detail-concerns.html). The Miami

Herald. Retrieved 2011-12-07.

18. ^ a b c d e f "U.S. contractor sentenced to 15 years in Cuban prison" (http://articles.cnn.com/2011-03-12/world/cuba.alan.gross_1_villa-marista-cuban-government-alan-gross?_s=PM:WORLD). CNN. March 12, 2011. Archived (http://web.archive.org/web/20110314224236/http://articles.cnn.com/2011-03-12/world/cuba.alan.gross_1_villa-marista-cuban-government-alan-gross?_s=PM:WORLD) from the original on 14 March 2011. Retrieved 2011-03-14.

19. ^ Thale, Geoff (October 24, 2011). "The Possibility of an Alan Gross-Rene Gonzalez Prisoner Swap U.S.-Cuba Negotiations or Political Theater?" (http://www.wola.org/commentary/the_possibility_of_an_alan_gross_rene_gonzalez_prisoner_swap). Wola, Washington Office on Latin America. Retrieved 2011-12-07.

20. ^ Shefler, Gil (March 13, 2011). "Cuba sentence for Jewish aid worker draws US ire" (http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=211920). Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2011-03-15.

21. ^ a b Darlington, Shasta (February 24, 2011). "Trial for American jailed in Cuba set for March 4" (http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/americas/02/24/cuba.jailed.american/). CNN. Retrieved 2011-03-14.

22. ^ "Cuban Authorities Set Date For Trial Of U.S. Contractor Alan Gross" (http://latindispatch.com/2011/02/25/cuban-authorities-set-date-for-trial-of-u-s-contractor-alan-gross/). latindispatch.com. February 25, 2011. Retrieved 2011-03-14.

23. ^ a b "Alan Gross Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison" (http://www.cubanews.ain.cu/2011/0312Alan-Gross-Sentenced-to-15-Years-in-Prison.htm). ACN. Cuban News Agency. March 12, 2011. Retrieved 2011-03-15.

24. ^ "Cuba upholds US contractor Alan Gross sentence" (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-14426705). BBC. August 5, 2011. Retrieved 2011-09-14.

25. ^ a b Mak, Tim (March 13, 2012). "Wife's plea for American held in Cuba" (http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0312/73931.html). Politico. Retrieved 2012-03-28.

26. ^ Kornbluh, Peter (January 18, 2013). "Alan Gross Case Spotlights U.S. Democracy Programs in Cuba". The National Security Archive.

27. ^ a b c Haven, Paul (June 15, 2012). "Alan Gross, American Jailed In Cuba, In Good Condition, Cuban Authorities Say" (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/15/alan-gross-american-cuba_n_1600934.html). Huffington Post.

28. ^ Franks, Jeff (September 12, 2012). "Cuba says jailed American's health OK, renews offer of talks" (http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/13/us-cuba-usa-contractor-idUSBRE88B1MM20120913). Reuters.

29. ^ "American Alan Gross, jailed in Cuba, may have cancer" (http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/02/us-cuba-usa-contractor-idUSBRE89105X20121002). Reuters. October 2, 2012.

30. ^ Genser, Jared, Perseus Strategies (November 11, 2012). "RE: Mistreatment of Alan Phillip Gross in Cuba" (http://www.bringalanhome.org/newsroom/Newsroom-2012-11-11-2.pdf).



31. ^ Toner, Mark C., Deputy Spokesperson (December 3, 2012). "Alan Gross Begins Fourth Year of Unjust Imprisonment. Press Statement" (http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2012/12/201383.htm7). U.S. State Department, Office of the Spokesperson.

32. ^ Franks, Jeff (September 29, 2012). "Cuban Jewish leader says Alan Gross fit, in good spirits" (http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/29/us-cuba-usa-contractor-idUSBRE88S03R20120929). Reuters.

33. ^ "U.S. rabbi and Cubans say Alan Gross in good health" (http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/11/28/3117890/us-rabbi-and-cubans-say-alan-gross.html). The Miami Herald. November 28, 2012. Retrieved February 26, 2012.

34. ^ JTA (November 18, 2012). "Judith Gross sues U.S. government, contractor on husband Alan’s behalf" (http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/jewish-world-news/judith-gross-sues-u-s-government-contractor-on-husband-alan-s-behalf-1.478693). Haaretz.

External links

◾ The official and only authorized site of the Gross family (http://www.bringalanhome.org/)

◾ Alan Gross, "Para La Isla," Proposed Expansion of Scope of Work in Cuba Proposal, September 2009 (DAI/JBDC) (http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB411/docs/daigross-memo.pdf)

◾ Complaint: Alan Gross and Judith Gross against Development Alternatives, Inc. (“DAI”) and the United States of America (https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6Mo1c2bIFLWUGtILWlhdWRIZXM/edit?pli=1). The United States District Court for the District of Columbia, November 16, 2012

◾ Development Alternatives Inc.'s Memorandum of Points and Authorities in Support of its Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Subject-Matter, Jurisdiction and Failure to State a Claim (http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB411/docs/grossdiacourtreply.pdf). The United States District Court for the District of Columbia, January 15, 2013

◾ Why Won’t the U.S. Help Alan Gross? (http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2013/12/why-wont-the-us-help-alan-gross-100578.html), Politico Magazine

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alan_Phillip_Gross&oldid=600192649"

Categories: 1949 births Living people People from New York City American Jews

American people imprisoned abroad Prisoners and detainees of Cuba University of Maryland alumni

Virginia Commonwealth University alumni

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