Intelligence officers under close surveillance, federal agent says

 BY DAVID KIDWELL

 The two Cuban Interests Section officials who met and
 tried to befriend former Miami immigration supervisor
 Mariano Faget were classified as ``known'' Cuban
 spies by the FBI, the bureau's top Miami agent said
 Thursday at Faget's espionage trial.

 Hector Pesquera, special agent in charge of the FBI's
 Miami field office, testified that his agents attempted to
 monitor every move of the two ``known Cuban
 intelligence officers'' Luis Molina and Jose Imperatore.

 It is the first time the U.S. government has confirmed
 that belief, even though Imperatore was expelled from
 the United States earlier this year. Both Molina and
 Imperatore have denied they were spies.

 Details of what led authorities to classify the men as spies remain secret.

 It was the intense surveillance of Molina that led the FBI to suspect Faget, a
 34-year veteran of the Immigration and Naturalization Service in Miami who was
 seen meeting with Molina at a Miami airport hotel bar Feb. 19, 1999.

 ``We have an INS employee who had a security clearance and access to any
 number of sensitive and classified documents who was in unequivocable, direct
 contact with known intelligence officers of the Cuban government,'' Pesquera told
 the jury. ``That in and of itself was enough to heighten my concern.''

 Faget and his attorneys acknowledge his relationship with the two Cubans, but
 say he was merely trying to build business contacts for a post-Castro Cuba.
 Faget had an undisclosed interest in America-Cuba Inc., a company established
 to represent retailers looking to enter Cuba once the U.S. embargo is lifted.

 Faget, 54, is charged with disclosing government secrets to his lifelong friend and
 America-Cuba partner Pedro Font, who also had contact with Molina and
 Imperatore. Faget is also charged with making false statements and failing to
 disclose his business interests.

 Pesquera said the investigation began to focus on Faget immediately after he was
 identified as meeting with Molina.

 But it wasn't until nearly a year later, on Feb. 11, 2000, that the FBI attempted ``a
 dangle'' -- the term used to describe an investigation where a piece of allegedly
 classified information is given to a suspected spy who is then watched.

 Faget, authorities say, took the bait.

 Jurors at Faget's trial watched FBI videotapes of a Feb. 11 meeting at Faget's
 office between Faget, Pesquera and an INS Assistant Director James Goldman.

 Pesquera was seeking Faget's assistance in obtaining immigration documents for
 Molina, who was defecting, Pesquera told Faget. Pesquera told Faget repeatedly
 that the operation was secret, sensitive and classified.

 ``Let me tell you something,'' Faget told them. ``I need, I don't know if this is going
 to make a difference. I've met this guy before. . . . He was at the Interests Section
 in Cuba, in Washington, D.C., and I went to a dinner here one day and he
 happened to be there.''

 ``That's it?'' Pesquera asked. ``That's your only contact with him?''

 ``That's the only contact.''

 At the time, Faget had met Molina on at least three occasions, once at Font's
 Connecticut home.

 After Pesquera and Goldman left the office, the tapes continued to roll. Twelve
 minutes elapsed before Faget telephoned Font -- who was set to meet with
 Imperatore that day -- to pass along the secrets.

 Faget says he was only trying to protect Font in case the Cuban officials tried to
 blame him for the defection.

 ``Seems certain things are happening in Cuba,'' Faget told Font in Spanish.
 ``Certain negotiations, and a person we both know, that was in Washington before
 and now is in Cuba.''

 ``Yes?'' Font said.

 ``Seems he's one of the ones working with the Americans,'' Faget said. ``Seems
 something pretty big is happening, so that you know, in case these people ask
 you two or three questions and catch you off base. Don't say anything. . . .''

 Faget's attorney Ed O'Donnell was not allowed to cross-examine Pesquera on the
 classified evidence the government has that Imperatore and Molina are spies, but
 jurors were allowed briefly to view portions of Molina's secret FBI file.

 If convicted, Faget faces about five years in prison. The trial is set to resume
 Monday.

 Faget is expected to testify in his own defense.