U.S. indicts Cuba's Raúl Castro and 5 others

Politics U.S. indicts Cuba's Raúl Castro and 5 others By Joe Walsh, Joe Walsh Senior Editor, Politics Joe Walsh is a senior editor for digital politics at CBS News. Joe previously covered breaking news for Forbes and local news in Boston. Read Full Bio Joe Walsh, Jennifer Jacobs, Jennifer Jacobs Senior White House reporter Jennifer Jacobs is a senior White House reporter at CBS News. Read Full Bio Jennifer Jacobs, Sarah N. Lynch, Sarah N. Lynch Senior Justice Department Reporter Sarah N. Lynch is the senior Justice Department reporter for CBS News, based in Washington, D.C. Read Full Bio Sarah N. Lynch, Olivia Gazis Olivia Gazis Olivia Gazis covers intelligence and international security matters for CBS News. Twice Emmy-nominated, she has traveled worldwide with the secretary of state and contributes reporting on intelligence, foreign policy and other security topics across CBS News broadcast, radio, online and streaming platforms. Read Full Bio Olivia Gazis May 20, 2026 / 12:52 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Washington — Former Cuban leader Raúl Castro and five others have been indicted by a U.S. grand jury in Florida, according to court filings made public Wednesday.The federal criminal charges against the 94-year-old Castro — brother of the late Fidel Castro and widely seen as one of Cuba's most powerful figures — mark an escalation in the Trump administration's pressure campaign against the Cuban government.CBS News was first to report that the U.S. was preparing to indict Castro in connection with the Cuban military's fatal downing of two planes 30 years ago. Castro served as president of Cuba from 2008 to 2018 and as the top official of the Communist Party of Cuba from 2011 to 2021.It is not clear what crimes are charged in the indictment, which was returned by a grand jury in South Florida. A judge on Wednesday granted a motion to unseal a superseding indictment against Raúl Castro, but the indictment itself ha...