A Cuban court has found a contractor from Potomac guilty of crimes against the state, sentencing him to 15 years in prison, the Associated Press reports.
Alan Gross, 61, was convicted of working on a “subversive” program paid for by the United States that aimed to bring down Cuba’s revolutionary system, according to the AP.
Gross was arrested in 2009 while working on a USAID democracy-building project. His family and the U.S. government have said Gross was trying to enhance Internet access for Cuba’s Jewish community, but Cuban officials contended that the program was part of a U.S. effort to overthrow the country’s government.
A statement read on Cuban television news said the court ruled that evidence in the trial “demonstrated the participation of the North American contractor in a subversive project of the U.S. government that aimed to destroy the Revolution through the use of communications systems out of the control of authorities.”
Gross’ two-day trial took place earlier this month.
