Washington D.C. —An American man who has been imprisoned in Cuba for almost three years has filed a lawsuit against his former employer and the United States government. Alan Gross, 63, and his wife Judy filed the lawsuit in federal court in Washington on Friday for $60 million. They claim that Development Alternatives Inc. did not adequately train him or disclose the risks of working on Cuba as a subcontractor. Gross went five times to Cuba to do contract work with the U.S. Agency for International Development. While he was on his fifth trip in December 2009, he was arrested. Gross was convicted of crimes against the state and is serving a 15-year sentence for providing Internet gear, including three Internet terminals, BlackBerry phones, iPods, and other electronic devices, to the Cuban-Jewish community. The U.S. government has demanded the release of Gross, but Cuba refuses. Since his arrest, Gross has lost 100 pounds and is suffering with chronic arthritis pain.
