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The U.S. Announces Indictment of Former Cuban Leader Raúl Castro

Amy Curtis
Amy Curtis  |  May 20, 2026 2:10 PM

The Justice Department announced today an indictment against Raúl Castro, the former Cuban leader and brother of dictator Fidel Castro.

Raúl Castro is being indicted on charges related to Cuba's deadly 1996 shootdown of planes operated by Brothers to the Rescue, a humanitarian group. The four Americans who were killed were Armando Alejandre, Carlos Costa, Mario de la Pena, and Pablo Morales.

Here's more from CBS News:

The Justice Department had earlier announced an event Wednesday at Miami's Freedom Tower during a ceremony to honor victims of the Brothers to the Rescue shootdown 30 years ago. Jose Basulto, the founder of the group, told CBS Miami that he hoped it would be Castro's indictment, saying "it's time for them to pay." 

Raúl Castro formally stepped down as the leader of Cuba's Communist Party in 2021, but he is still widely seen as one of the most powerful figures in the country.

CBS News is also reporting that Castro and five others were charged with 'conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, four counts of murder, and two counts of destruction of aircraft.' One of the other defendants is a fighter pilot who was charged in connection with the 1996 shootdown more than 20 years ago.

It's unclear if Castro would stand trial, as Cuba does not extradite to the United States. Some people are speculating that the indictment is laying the groundwork for an operation similar to the one that apprehended Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro earlier this year.

Florida Senator Rick Scott said Castro and President Miguel Diaz-Canel 'must be held accountable' for the oppression of the Cuban people.

"The illegitimate communist Cuban regime has been a POISON in our hemisphere, bringing nothing but violence and suffering to the people of Cuba and America," Scott wrote on X.

During the press conference, led by acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, President of Miami Dade College Madeline Pumarigea thanked the audience for being there and introduced Blanche.

"Today, we are announcing an indictment charging Raúl Castro and several others with conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals," Blanche said. They are being charged with destruction of aircraft and four additional counts of murder.

"For nearly 30 years, the families of four murdered Americans have waited for justice," Blanche said. "They were unarmed civilians and were flying a humanitarian mission for the rescue and protection of people fleeing oppression across the Florida Straits."

"My message today is clear: the United States and President Trump does not and will not forget its citizens," Blanche continued. "I want to say that we also do not forget the families, the loved ones, and the friends who have carried grief and heartache for 30 years. For the first time in nearly 70 years, senior leadership of the Cuban regime has been charged in this country ... for acts of violence resulting in the deaths of American citizens."

"Nations and their leaders cannot be permitted to target Americans, kill them, and not face accountability. President Trump is committed to restoring a very simple but important principle: if you kill Americans, we will pursue you, no matter who you are, no matter what title you hold, and — in this case — no matter how much time has passed," Blanche added.

Jason Reding Quinones, U.S. Attorney, spoke as well. "For nearly 70 years, the communist Cuban regime has acted with impunity in its systematic repression of its people. And for the last 30 years, this regime's senior leadership has gone unchallenged for its murder of four Americans. Today, the United States announces an historic indictment charging Raúl Castro and five co-defendants for their roles in the February 24, 1996, shootdown of Brothers to the Rescue."

"The victims were four unarmed civilian pilots engaged in humanitarian work," Quinones said. "They were not combatants, they were not armed, and they posed no threat. According to the indictment, Raúl Castro, then Minister of the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces, authorized and oversaw a military chain of command that ended with Cuban fighter jets firing air-to-air missiles at civilian aircraft over international waters. Those missiles destroyed the planes without warning and killed all aboard."

"For 30 years, the families have waited. The Miami community has waited, and our country has waited. Today is a step towards accountability," Quinones said. "The passage of time does not erase murder. It does not diminish the value of those loves, and it does not weaken our commitment to the rule of law."

"My own mother spent her first night in the United States in this very building," Quinones added. "After fleeing brutal communist Cuba, like so many families in Miami, mine understands what it means to arrive here with little more than hope and a chance to rebuild under the protection of American law."

"Today marks a significant moment in a long, long journey for justice," Said FBI Deputy Director Christopher Raia. "Four humanitarians were on a noble mission to help those fleeing oppression. Instead, their lives were violently taken in a reckless act by the Cuban regime. The FBI, the Department of Justice, and countless others never forgot them. And we never stopped hunting for the truth."

"The charges we announced today are only the latest milestone on that road to justice. A road paved with persistence, partnership, and extreme, extreme resolve," Raia said. "To anyone who spies on our country or harms our citizens, know this: the FBI, the Department of Justice, has a long memory. We will come after you, and we will find you."

"I also was fortunate enough to act as security during remembrance ceremonies held at the 12 nautical mile limit joust outside Cuban territorial waters," Raia said. "I served on coast guard cutters that provided the security to the friends and family who were just trying to remember their lost loved ones. So for me, today brings everything full circle."

Raia turned the podium over to Florida Senator Ashley Moody. "Three months ago, I joined you on the anniversary to mark the killing of Carlos, Armando, Mario, and Pablo, and I said it was not a cold case. It was never a cold case. It was never a whodunit. We always knew who was responsible for the killing of those young men. That was three months ago. And I am so proud to join you today to say we're finally bringing justice to those families and not just those families, everyone sitting here today, for the past 30 years, who have kept this case hot."

"It is why I applaud the Department of Justice for bringing these charges," Moody said. "Previous administrations, as those of you who met with leadership, reminded them of what happened 30 years ago. Previous administrations would release the one person we convicted related to it. Maybe even go down there and go to a baseball game ... but not this administration. They took the bold step of actually bringing accountability."

"I am so proud to be here today to say we got things done," Moody continued. "And so, on today, May 20, on the day that Cuba became a free and independent state, i would like to end my visit with you by reading the following. And it is a penalty sheet in the Southern District of Florida, United States District Court, advising that Raul Castro will face count one, conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals facing a maximum term of imprisonment of life imprisonment. Counts two and three, destruction of aircraft, facing a maximum term of imprisonment on each count of up to five years in prison. And counts four through seven, the charges of murder, facing a maximum term of imprisonment on each count of death or life imprisonment. God bless you, God bless this great free state of Florida, and our United States of America."

"I know this pain is all too real for many of you in this room," said Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier. "Raúl Castro ordered those fighter jets to shoot down unarmed civilian aircraft. It was not an accident. It was intentional, premeditated, state-sanctioned murder. And their criminal conspiracy violated Florida sovereignty. They embedded spies here in Miami and across jurisdictions down into the Florida Keys, revealing the intelligence that would put these civilian aircraft in the crosshairs."

"And yet for too long, leaders in Washington looked the other way," Uthmeier continued, "they sat by idly. They even attended baseball games with the very man who directed the murders."

"We are blessed to have a President in Donald J. Trump who will not bend the knee for communist tyrants," Uthmeier said. "Going forward, let me be crystal clear: there can be no future for a free Cuba so long as the Castros and their criminal gang of thugs remain in power."

When asked about how the prospect of Raul Castro getting to the United States to face justice, Blache made it clear Castro will get here one way or another.

"The reason why we indict somebody is because we want them here to face justice in front of a jury of their peers," Blanche said. "How we go about doing that obviously depends on the circumstances in the case, and I'm not going to go beyond that. This isn't a show indictment ... we expect that he will show up here by his own will or by another way and go to prison."