Cabrera Fuentes, 37, had pleaded guilty in February to “acting in the United States for a foreign government without notifying the Prosecutor’s Office,” a crime punishable by a maximum of 10 years in prison.
The renowned biochemist’s career took a turn with his arrest in February 2020 at the Miami airport.
During the interrogation, Cabrera Fuentes explained that a Russian official had recruited him in May 2019 for a mission in Miami. The objective was to follow an American who had provided information about the Russian government to Washington and take a photo of his car’s license plate.
The investigation uncovered the fact that the investigator, who worked in Singapore, was married to two women: a Russian citizen, who lived in Germany, and a Mexican, according to court documents.
The Russian agent obtained the collaboration of Cabrera Fuentes by promising help to resolve an immigration issue that affected his Russian wife and her two daughters.
The three had traveled to Russia to carry out administrative procedures, and the Moscow authorities prevented them from returning to Germany.
On February 13, 2020, the scientist traveled to Miami from Mexico to fulfill the order of the Russian agent.
And the next day, he drove in a rental car to the residence of the US government source, along with his Mexican wife.
There he caught the attention of a security guard because he entered the building by sticking to another vehicle before the entrance gate closed.
While the guard was talking to Cabrera Fuentes, his wife got out of the car, approached the Russian target’s vehicle and took a photo of the license plate.
On the night of February 16, when the defendant was preparing to leave the United States at the Miami airport, customs authorities searched his phone and found the license plate photograph on it. The police then arrested him.
Cabrera Fuentes was born in 1985 in El Espinal, a municipality of 10,000 inhabitants in the state of Oaxaca, in southwestern Mexico.
In a memorandum sent to the judge, which includes a dozen letters from relatives and scientists who worked with him, the scientist is described as a “world-renowned biochemist and cardiovascular researcher” and highlights “his charitable work to support the people of his native Oaxaca.”
In his hometown, Cabrera Fuentes worked with local and federal authorities to build a research center for southern Mexico, covering 35 hectares of land.
He also created a foundation called “For Oaxaca More Researchers”, to find and help young scientific talent through scholarships and research collaborations.
In Miami, the improvised spy showed his desire to return to his job upon leaving prison. “Everyone makes mistakes in life and this is my big mistake,” he declared.
Source: Ambito
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