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This is tied into a U.S. firm. U.S. exec were also convicted. This fellow was part of that firm. He was a conduit through Canada to get this to Castro. The rest of the world is free to trade with that communist dictator, so he is welcome to do business elsewhere. This is not much different than Chinese "businessmen" setting up Canadian firms to divert U.S. technology to the communist Chinese government. If Canada is an ally, they'd better start acting like one.

"This is not much different than Chinese "businessmen" setting up Canadian firms to divert U.S. technology to the communist Chinese government. If Canada is an ally, they'd better start acting like one."

I would beg to differ. First of all, clean water and classified technology are apples and oranges. This is about trade, not espionage.

Secondly, the US policy with respect to dealing with totalitarian regimes is one of duplicity. The US favours some communist countries while considering others "enemy states." IMHO, it diminishes US credibility further when they prosecute foreign nationals for alleged trade related crimes that have been comitted outside of the USA.

If there was proof that any his involvement in any of these transactions occured while he was on US soil, then surely the US would have every right to prosecute. Whether or not this man held equity in the company (a US asset) at the time of the transactions is key.

However, is it possible that he did all this at the behest of his employers, who had been told by their lawyers that this was a legal way around the trading with the enemy laws?

The consquesnces should rest on those who called the shots and disregarded their nation's laws in the name of profit. Whether or not this man falls into that category, the article doesn't say. I haven't been following the case otherwise.