US Sentences Mexican Citizen to 4 Years for Working as Unregistered Foreign Agent - Reports

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The US authorities sentenced a Mexican national to four years in prison for working in the United States as an unregistered foreign agent for Russia, the Miami Herald reported.

Hector Cabrera Fuentes pleaded guilty in February to acting on behalf of the Russian government without notifying the US authorities. Cabrera admitted to acting under the direction of an individual he believed to be a Russian government official to surveil an FBI informant in Miami.

Cabrera, 37, was sentenced to four years and one day in prison on Tuesday as part of a plea deal. During the hearing, Cabrera apologized for his actions and said he has no interest in committing similar offenses in the future, the report said.

Cabrera worked as a prominent cardiac scientist in Mexico, having published more than 100 scientific articles in the field, the report said.

The target of Cabrera’s surveillance is believed to have been providing intelligence to the FBI on Russian spying activities in South Florida. Carbera was directed by an unidentified Russian official to gather information about the target’s car, license plate and parking location, the report added.

Cabrera told investigators that he had met with the Russian official several times in 2019 prior to the February 2020 surveillance. Cabrera was arrested by FBI agents at Miami International Airport days after he conducted the surveillance while preparing to return to Mexico, according to the report.