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Miami Herald, el Nuevo Herald reporter Nora Gámez Torres wins Maria Moors Cabot prize
Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism announced Wednesday that Gámez Torres, a reporter with McClatchy newspapers, the Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald, is among this year's winners for 'her fair, accurate and groundbreaking journalism.' She will be awarded the Cabot Gold Medal, the university said, at a ceremony in October.
Gámez Torres is the 17th Herald journalist to win the lifetime achievement prize, the oldest award in international journalism and the most prestigious for coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean. The Cuba-born journalist also joins a prestigious list of Cubans and Cuban Americans who have also been honored over the years by the Cabot jury for promoting inter-American understanding of life under Cuba's communist regime.
'For more than a decade, Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald correspondent Nora Gámez Torres has provided deeply reported, compelling coverage of Cuba, becoming the most authoritative voice on the island nation in the U.S. media,' the announcement said.
Gámez Torres, who came to the Herald from academia, first joined el Nuevo Herald in 2014. Since then, her coverage has become a go-to resource for everyone from relatives living in the U.S. seeking information about what's happening on the island to policy hawks trying to carve out U.S. policy. Her essential coverage of U.S.-Cuba relations and historic developments on the island often beats Havana-based competition, although she has not been allowed inside Cuba for nine years, the Cabot jury noted.
'With Cuban media under tight government control, many Cubans also learn about events in their own country through her reporting,' said the judges.
The Maria Moors Cabot jury highlighted Gámez Torres' reporting on the pivotal role that Cuban Americans in Miami played in the return of capitalist enterprises to Cuba; her exclusives on the Havana Syndrome illness that struck U.S. diplomats, and the arrest of a former U.S. ambassador in Miami who pleaded guilty to acting as a foreign agent for Cuba.
Earlier this year, Secretary of State Marco Rubio cited her reporting during his confirmation hearing to become the Trump administration's top diplomat. During questioning about U.S. policy toward Cuba, Rubio referenced Gámez Torres exposé on how Cuba's military-run conglomerate, GAESA, has been hoarding billions of dollars in its secret accounts while the population suffers from electrical blackouts and starvation.
Cuba runs one of the world's best intelligence services. Gámez Torres series, based on leaked documents, wasn't just a testament to her sourcing but her years of trusted reporting. The stories marked the first time internal information from GAESA's accounting system had been publicly disclosed.
'Nora embodies the spirit of courageous journalism that the Cabot Prize represents. Her work has consistently illuminated complex issues with depth, clarity and fearlessness,' said Alex Mena, executive editor of the Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald. 'We are incredibly proud to see her named a Cabot Prize winner. It is a well-deserved honor and a powerful recognition of the impact of her reporting.'
In addition to her investigations on government mismanagement and corruption, Gámez's reporting portfolio includes stories on human rights violations and political repression inside Cuba. That includes stories on the unprecedented anti-government protests in July 2021, the surprising return of capitalism to the island and the historic exodus of Cubans fleeing extreme poverty and repression. As a result of her hard hitting reports, she has been a frequent target of attacks by Cuban state media and state security forces.
'It is with great gratitude that I accept the María Moors Cabot award, which is also a testament to the Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald's commitment to covering Cuba and the Cuban American community in South Florida,' Gámez Torres said. 'Throughout my time at the Herald, I have been inspired and mentored by colleagues and friends who have won this prestigious award. And I am honored to continue the line of Cuba-born journalists who have received this distinction.'
That list includes former Herald foreign correspondent and assistant world editor Juan Tamayo and former Herald publisher and former head of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Alberto Ibargüen, who received a special citation along with Cuban dissident and blogger Yoani Sanchez.
While Cuba and the Cuban American diaspora are her speciality, Gámez Torres also reports on U.S. foreign policy toward Latin America and the Caribbean. More recently, she has also been involved in reporting on the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.
Gámez Torres, the Cabot jury said, 'keeps both governments in her sights; she reported on a Cuban woman who was detained while doing a routine ICE check-in and then deported, leaving a still breastfeeding daughter and American husband behind.'
Gámez Torres has been part of winning investigative teams, including those behind the Panama Papers, the Odebrecht series and the Bribery Division series in partnership with other national and international media outlets. Her work has been recognized by the Florida Society of News Editors, the Society of Professional Journalists and others.
Gámez first studied journalism at the University of Havana, where she later taught Media Theory. She has a Ph.D in Sociology from City University of London and a Master of Science in Media and Communications from the London School of Economics.
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Miami Herald
6 hours ago
- Miami Herald
These companies appear in secret documents of Cuba's largest military conglomerate
A Miami Herald investigation that revealed that a Cuban military conglomerate is holding billions in secret dollar reserves amid the ongoing collapse of the economy shows the island's armed services have created a network large of companies that tap into almost every string of foreign revenue entering the island.. Secret financial documents obtained by the Herald show that GAESA, the military's umbrella company that has a multitude of subsidiaries, had $18 billion in current assets as of March 2024, most of it deposited in unknown bank accounts. The Herald obtained more than 20 financial statements from GAESA's internal accounting system for March and August 2024. The Herald also obtained a PowerPoint presentation with financial information from Cimex's, the largest holding company under the umbrella. Financial statements for March and August last year, titled 'Balance de datos' (Data Balance) and 'Estado de Resultados por Conceptos '(roughly translated as income statement by concept), identify 25 companies in the conglomerate, grouped into three categories: state enterprises, 'international economic associations,' and mipymes, the Spanish acronym for micro, small, and medium enterprises. The Cuban government uses the 'international economic associations' category to authorize contracts with foreign firms to manage Cuban hotels, exploit natural resources and similar partnerships. It may involve the creation of new companies in a 'joint venture' or just a contract for services. Cimex's presentation mentioned six of its companies, though most were not named. Some of the companies named in the documents obtained by the Herald have not been previously identified as being part of GAESA. That includes Aries S.A., the company that operates the cruise terminal in Havana, which was used by several cruise companies taking U.S. travelers to the island between 2016 and 2019. Cimex is believed to be the island's largest commercial corporation, with businesses in several sectors including international trade, retail, tourism, banking, transportation, logistics and real estate among others. According to a 2020 research paper authored by a Cimex analyst, the holding had 41 enterprises at the time. It also operated 668 gas stations around the country in 2020, according to the declaration of its legal director, Mali Suris Valmaña, in a U.S. court case involving a lawsuit filed by Exxon against Cimex. In her declaration, Valmaña spilled the beans regarding Cimex's true ownership: the Cuban company is owned by Corporación CIMEX, S.A, registered in Panama. GAESA and many of its companies, including Cimex, are under U.S. sanctions, though several mentioned in the documents are not. Here is the list of the companies named in the documents obtained by the Herald: Monte Barreto, a real estate company that owns and operates the Miramar Trade Center, an office and retail building complex in Havana in a joint venture with Ceiba Investments Ltd, a company registered in the Isle of Guernsey, a tax haven. Azul Inmobiliaria, a real estate company that manages condominiums in partnership with an Italian company, BD International. Logística Hotelera del Caribe (LHC), a joint venture based at the special development zone in Mariel that sells food and supplies to hotels in Cuba. Complejo de Museos Históricos Militares, (Military History Museum Complex), an enterprise that manages the Museum of Revolution, the Morro Castle and the Cabaña fortress in de Aceite Ecasol (Ecasol Oil Marketing Company), a cooking oil commercialization company. Comercializadora de Aceite Ecasol (Ecasol Oil Marketing Company), a cooking oil commercialization de Servicios Generales de la Marina (Maritime General Services Company). The Herald could not find public information about this company. Empresa de Servicios Ingenieros Dirección Integrada de Proyectos Mariel (Mariel Integrated Project Management Engineering Services Company), a company handling port, logistics, infrastructure and building projects at the special development zone in Inmobiliaria Almest, a real estate company investing in Importadora Tecnotex, (Technical Products Importer and Exporter Company, also known as Tecnoimport), a company mired in an alleged corruption scandal in TRD-Caribe, one of the island's largest hard currency stores S.A., an airline flying Universales S.A., a logistics company that handles operations at the port of Antex S.A., (previously known as Corporación Antillana de Exportaciones, SA), a corporation contracting doctors and managing businesses in S.A. (also known as Empresa Comercializadora y Exportadora de Productos Agropecuarios y Agroindustriales, S.A.) is an importer and exporter of agricultural products, which functions as an intermediary for private enterprises importing food y Extracción de Petróleo y Gas S.A (Oil and Gas Exploration and Extraction S.A.). The Herald could not find public information about a company with this name. A similarly named company (Unión de Exploración, Perforación y Extracción de Petróleo) merged with Union del Combustible in 1992 to create CUPET, Cuba's main oil de Turismo Gaviota S.A., GAESA's flagship tourism companyInmobiliaria Caribe S.A., a real estate company providing 'rental services in prime areas of the capital,' according to its Facebook Marítimos S.A. (Maritime Services S.A.). The Herald could not find public data about a company with this name. Cuba's Communist Party newspaper Granma reported last year that a new Cuban company named Servicios Marítimos Mariel S.A. operating at the special development zone in Mariel, would offer customs services, processing of manifests and supplies to ships and crews at the port of Automotores S.A., a company importing and selling cars and car de Auditoría S.A., a company providing auditing services with its main office in Miramar, in a company that operates the cruise terminal in the port of Havana. It was previously believed to be affiliated with GEMAR, a holding company part of the Ministry of Importadora y Exportadora de Productos Técnicos (Technical Products Importer and Exporter Company, also known as Tecnoimport), a company sued by Russian truckmaker Ural for Moncada, a new cement factory built last year in Santiago de Cuba. The administration of the plant was offered as an investment project in 2021, according to a document by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment. Agencia Importadora Caribe Surl, an importer Grafo Caribe Surl, an advertising company. Both are linked to TRD Caribe, the store chain, the documents show. Cimex Mariel, a company based in the Mariel Special Development Zone that produces and sells coffee under the brands Cubita and Financiera CIMEX, a company handling remittances and credit cards transactions in Cimex S.A., a real estate S.A. ( Zona Especializada de Logística y Comercio, ZELCOM S.A), a free trade zone near Tarará S.A., a lodging and rentals S.A., an information technology company offering 'applications, technology and network solutions,' according to its profile on Facebook.
Miami Herald
6 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Attorney in Herald condo sale investigation loses his license — as he requested
A Hollywood lawyer whose system for cheaply buying condominiums in foreclosure spawned a Florida Bar complaint and a Miami Herald investigation has lost his law license. And that's exactly what Brad Schandler requested when he filed for disciplinary revocation. 'Disciplinary revocation is tantamount to disbarment,' states the state Supreme Court's general language in acceptance of such petitions. Here's how disciplinary revocation works: Schandler, 69, gets kicked out of the Bar for five years. He can ask to be readmitted on July 3, 2030. He has to pay an administrative fee of $1,250, plus possibly Bar auditor and investigator costs. He will also have to reimburse the Client Security Fund for any payments made to clients from his actions. In return, the pending Florida Bar investigations and grievances against Schandler go away. This has no effect on any civil or criminal cases related to the actions being investigated. Disciplinary revocation gets used by lawyers who are near retirement, and lawyers who don't want to be lawyers anymore or who expect to be suspended or disbarred at the end of a possibly augmented disciplinary process. The granting of the petition didn't please Hernando Posse, who filed a Bar complaint against Schandler after being outbid for a two-bedroom unit in Pompano Beach's Emerald Tower, 1401 Ocean Blvd. The Bar closed the complaint without any action, then reopened the complaint after 2024 Miami Herald reporting on several such sales. 'This is incredible .... how corrupt the whole system is' Posse said.. MORE: Supreme Court suspends license of Coral Gables attorney accused of swindling clients Schandler described his system to a Miami Herald reporter as an 'alternative, legal foreclosure method' for buying condos that have foreclosure judgments, overdue maintenance fees or unpaid assessments. In his petition for disciplinary revocation, he described it thusly: Schandler, as the attorney for various companies, bought the judgments from the condominium associations and then would ask the courts to change two auction rules: allow a public auction at the actual property, instead of online, and, if the highest bidder didn't pay, the auction wouldn't have to be repeated. This allowed Schandler's client to buy the property, usually for $100. Posse believes Schandler's sister outbid him under a phony name, then intentionally failed to pay. Under auction rules Schandler persuaded a judge to approve, the property then got sold to a Schandler-controlled company. Quit claim deeds passed it through a couple of entities with connections to Schandler or his associates for $100 per change. Broward County records say a company affiliated with one of Schandler's associates sold the unit to a couple for $525,000. Schandler's petition said, 'According to (Posse) ... as well as a Miami Herald article published on April 2, 2004, the change in auction rules [Schandler] had the courts approve would enable [Schandler's] clients to obtain ownership of the properties for a payment, which, in most instances, would be less than the properties' would have sold at a normal online auction. The Bar's Board of Governors Executive Committee approved the petition on June 23 and the state Supreme Court did so on July 3.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
In Cuba, Castro's 'influencer' grandson causes a stir
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