The Center for a Free Cuba is a

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

-based organization. It states that it is "an independent, non-partisan institution dedicated to promoting human rights and a transition to democracy and the rule of law on the island. Established in November 1997, the center gathers and disseminates information about Cuba and Cubans to the media, non-governmental organizations, and the international community. The center also assists the people of Cuba through its information outreach and humanitarian programs on the island." Among the organization's activities it supports the France-based non-governmental group Reporters Without Borders.

Embezzlement by Felipe Sixto

Felipe Sixto was working as Chief of Staff in the Center for a Free Cuba. In July 2007, Sixto left the Center and joined the

White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs The White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs is a unit of the White House Office, within the Executive Office of the President. It serves as the primary liaison between the White House and state, county (or county-equivalent), local, and t ...

. The Center's Executive Director reported an alleged misuse of

United States Agency for International Development The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 b ...

grant money meant for the Center which then suspended financing of its Cuba programs while it investigated being overcharged $570,000 meant for use by the Center to buy radios and flashlights. On March 1, 2008, Sixto was selected from the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and appointed by Republican President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

as a Special Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs, as well as becoming the Deputy Director of the

Office of Public Liaison The White House Office of Public Engagement is a unit of the White House Office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States. Under the administration of President Barack Obama, it was called the White House Office of Publ ...

. When he heard of the investigation Sixto resigned from his new position as Presidential Aide a few weeks later on March 20, 2008. On December 19, 2008, Sixto pled guilty to embezzlement of government funds for his own use, both while he was at the Center and while he was in service to the President. On March 18, 2009, Sixto, was fined $10,000 and sentenced to 30 months in prison.

Reaction

In 2014,

National Endowment for Democracy The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is an organization in the United States that was founded in 1983 for promoting democracy in other countries by promoting political and economic institutions such as political groups, trade unions, ...

said they support the Center for a Free Cuba.Cuba
NED via web.archive.org

References

{{Reflist Cuban expatriates in the United States Anti-communist organizations Anti-communist organizations in the United States Governments in exile * * * * Political repression in Cuba Resistance movements Cuba–United States relations 20th century in Cuba 21st century in Cuba