MIAMI (CNN) -- An immigration official accused of spying for the Cuban
                  government pleaded not guilty Monday at his arraignment for allegedly handing
                  over U.S. secrets to a Cuban citizen and lying about contacts with government
                  officials from the Communist island.

                  Mariano Faget, 54, a Cuban-born supervisor in the Miami office of the
                  Immigration and Naturalization Service, has been jailed without bond since
                  his high-profile arrest February 17.

                  The case led to the expulsion from the United States of a top Cuban
                  diplomat, Jose Imperatori.

                  In a federal indictment, Faget was charged with communicating national
                  defense secrets, converting classified information to his own use and three
                  counts of making false statements.

                  Faget, who worked for the INS for 34 years and was near retirement,
                  entered a not guilty plea before U.S. Magistrate Andrea Simonton and
                  requested a jury trial.

                  "He did not do anything to betray his country," said Diane Ward, one of
                  Faget's attorneys.

                  If convicted, Faget could face up to 35 years in prison and $1.25 million in
                  fines.

                  At a February 24 bond hearing, Faget admitted to divulging information he
                  believed to be classified. His attorney called it an error in judgment, not
                  espionage.

                  Secret clearance

                  The indictment against Faget said he was regularly consulted about
                  immigration cases involving FBI informants and counterintelligence sources.

                  He had secret clearance at the INS for 12 years but never informed the
                  agency about becoming executive vice president of America-Cuba Inc., a
                  company formed with New York businessman and Cuban citizen Pedro
                  Font to recruit trade with Cuba if the United States lifts its trade embargo.

                  Faget should have submitted an outside employment form reflecting his ties
                  to America-Cuba and Font, its president, the indictment indicated.

                  Faget was introduced to Cuban government officials by Font, met with them
                  at least three times and talked to them by phone without reporting his
                  contacts to the FBI or INS, the indictment said.

                  He was caught in an FBI sting February 11 when he was shown secret
                  documents, was told "very sensitive" information that a Cuban official was
                  about to defect, and then called Font 12 minutes later, investigators said.

                  In a second call, Faget promised to keep Font informed while he was
                  traveling in China, the indictment said.

                  The false-statement counts charge Faget lied about contacts with Cuban
                  government officials and lied on a 1998 INS form saying he had no ties to
                  non-U.S. businesses.

                                  The Associated Press contributed to this report.