US DOJ Working Group Prepares Indictments Against Cuban Regime, Including Raúl Castro

Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida, led by U.S. Attorney Jason Reding Quiñones, have assembled a multi-agency working group to examine possible criminal charges against Cuban government and Communist Party officials, a probe that officials say could result in indictments of senior regime figures including Raúl Castro. Multiple outlets report the group includes federal prosecutors and officials from agencies such as the Drug Enforcement Administration, and several accounts say Treasury and State Department officials are participating as well.

The push for criminal action has been amplified by a Feb. 13 letter from Reps. María Elvira Salazar, Mario Díaz‑Balart, Carlos A. Giménez and Nicole Malliotakis to President Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi. The letter asks DOJ to “consider indicting Raul Castro who is responsible for the cold-blooded murders of three Americans and a U.S. permanent resident in the 1996 Brothers to the Rescue shootdown of two civilian aircraft by Cuban Mig fighter jets, and consider whether Interpol ‘red notices’ should be issued against him.” The lawmakers add, “We believe unequivocally that Raul Castro is responsible for this heinous crime. It is time for him to be brought to justice.”

Not everyone attributes the effort the same way. Congressman Carlos Gimenez, citing a Washington Post article, said “Trump’s Justice Department is preparing indictments against the Cuban regime led by AG Pam Bondi,” while reporting from the Associated Press, the New York Times and others attributes formation of the working group directly to Jason Reding Quiñones. Those accounts describe Quiñones as the top federal prosecutor in Miami who ordered a broad-ranging inquiry into alleged drug, immigration, economic and violent crimes tied to Cuba’s leaders.

The Justice Department provided a general statement that “federal prosecutors from across the country work every day to pursue justice, which includes efforts to combat transnational crime.” Reporters and officials emphasize no indictments have been announced; the working group is described as an effort to build cases, not as a public charging decision. Florida’s attorney general, unnamed in the excerpts reviewed, has said he will open a state-level investigation this week, adding a parallel probe at the state level.

The 1996 Brothers to the Rescue shootdown figures in the lawmakers’ demand and in the working group’s stated focus, but accounts differ on basic facts from that episode: the letter’s language cites two civilian aircraft and four victims, while other reports refer to the 1996 shootdown of four planes operated by anti-communist exiles. Lawmakers point to decades‑old news reports and audio recordings they say could support a prosecution; Miami Republicans and Sen. Rick Scott have called for reopening the criminal inquiry.

The formation of the task force arrives as the administration has tightened pressure on Havana, including adding Cuba to the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism, and as President Trump has publicly ratcheted up rhetoric about Cuba. One outlet reproduced a presidential remark that Cuba is “ready — after 50 years,” and discussed placing Marco Rubio over policy there. If Quiñones and the multi‑agency team proceed toward indictments, the combination of criminal cases, Treasury participation and state-level investigations could link prosecutions to a broader campaign of sanctions and diplomatic pressure on the island.