U.S. authorities say a former senior executive with government-funded TV Marti has been sentenced to 27 months in prison for unlawfully accepting payments from a company doing business with the station.
The U.S. Attorney's Office in Miami released a statement Wednesday, saying Jose Miranda was sentenced for unlawfully participating in government matters in which he had a financial interest. The statement said his prison sentence will be followed by three years of probation and that he will be fined $5,000.
Miranda was TV Marti's director of programming from 1999 until 2004. Authorities say he took $112,000 in bribes from Perfect Image Film and Video Productions between November 2001 and December 2004. He was also charged with false reporting on financial disclosure reports.
He pleaded guilty in February.
The U.S. Office of Cuba Broadcasting oversees TV Marti, which broadcasts news and information programs to Cuba, although the Cuban government attempts to block the signal.
The chief of staff for the broadcasting office, Alberto Mascaro, was quoted by the Associated Press as describing the incident involving Miranda as "unfortunate." He said that when it comes to taxpayers' dollars, there is no tolerance for that kind of behavior.
The Broadcasting Board of Governors oversees the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, the Voice of America and all U.S. government and government-sponsored non-military international broadcasting.
