Jesús Daniel Romero from Miami Strategic Intelligence Institute for Poder & Dinero and FinGurú
Dale Britt Bendler, a 68-year-old former CIA contractor from Miami, Florida, operated a network of clandestine activities that exploited the Cuban-American diaspora while endangering U.S. national security. On April 23, 2025, Bendler pleaded guilty to acting as an unregistered foreign agent and improperly handling materials classified up to the SECRET//NOFORN level, as detailed in the plea agreement from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) (U.S. Department of Justice, 2025a). His nefarious operations in Miami, centered around his company ONE.61 LLC, targeted the diaspora through a conference titled "China Economic Warfare in Latin America," potentially for profit. With the participation of U.S. Congressman Carlos Giménez, a member of the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, the conference highlighted critical issues for the Cuban community, issues that Bendler exploited under a deceptive facade (American Museum of the Cuban Diaspora, 2025). This article examines Bendler's clandestine operations in Miami, the severe damage caused by his violation of classified information, and Giménez's role in countering China's influence.
Clandestine Operations in Miami: Targeting the Cuban Diaspora
In Miami, a hub for the Cuban-American diaspora, Bendler operated ONE.61 Personal Protective Techniques, a veteran-owned LLC that allegedly offered cybersecurity and urban security training through referral-only services (ONE.61 Personal Protective Techniques, 2025). Under this facade, Bendler became involved in sinister activities, leveraging his CIA experience to gain the trust of the diaspora, a community deeply committed to anti-communist causes due to Cuba's history. The DOJ plea agreement reveals that between 2017 and 2020, Bendler engaged in undisclosed lobbying activities for foreign nationals, earning hundreds of thousands of dollars, a pattern of deception that extended to his operations in Miami (U.S. Department of Justice, 2025a).
Bendler organized the conference "China Economic Warfare in Latin America," scheduled for May 1, 2025, at the American Museum of the Cuban Diaspora, co-sponsored by ONE.61 LLC, the museum, and the Adam Smith Center for Economic Freedom at Florida International University. The conference, canceled after his guilty plea, was a calculated move to exploit the diaspora's concerns about China's influence in Cuba and Latin America. Its agenda included:
- 08:30–09:15: Welcome, comments by Dale Bendler and Marcell Felipe.
- 09:15–10:00: “BRI and MSR, Supply Chains and Tariffs” by Prof. Leland Lazarus.
- 10:15–11:00: “Critical Minerals” by Peter Chin and Lyle Effio.
- 11:15–12:00: Keynote Speech by the Honorable Carlos Diaz-Rosillo.
- 12:00–13:00: Paella lunch by Carlos Galan.
- 12:30–13:00: Museum tour by Marcell Felipe.
- 13:00–13:45: “China and the Information Space in LATAM.”
- 14:00–14:45: “China in the Caribbean, Cuba, and Venezuela” by Maria Werlau and Executive Miguel Cossio.
- 15:00–15:45: “China and Criminal Networks: fentanyl, human trafficking, money laundering.”
- Pending: Guest speaker, the Honorable U.S. Congressman Carlos Giménez, Subcommittee on China.
- 16:00: Second museum tour by Marcell Felipe.
- 18:00: Post-event cocktails at Dolores But You Can Call Me Lolita, 1000 South Miami Ave, Brickell (cash bar) (American Museum of the Cuban Diaspora, 2025).
By including prominent figures such as Carlos Diaz-Rosillo, a former Trump official, and Carlos Giménez, Bendler positioned the event as a legitimate platform, likely attracting the diaspora's interest. However, unverified claims suggest that his motives were exploitative. Bendler may have solicited funds, sponsorships, or attendance fees under the guise of advancing anti-China or anti-Castro agendas, potentially failing to deliver or misappropriating the funds. The Cuban diaspora, often a target of scams due to their political passions, was a vulnerable target for Bendler's clandestine operations. Although the DOJ plea agreement does not confirm a scam against the diaspora, his history of unauthorized lobbying suggests a pattern of deceptive profit-making (U.S. Department of Justice, 2025a).
The Violation of National Security: Damage from the Disclosure of SECRET//NOFORN
Beyond his operations in Miami, Bendler's actions inflicted severe damage on U.S. national security. The DOJ plea agreement details how:
- He sought information related to clients in classified CIA systems.
- He improperly stored and disclosed SECRET//NOFORN material, which prohibits dissemination to foreign entities.
- He lied to the CIA and FBI to conceal his misconduct (U.S. Department of Justice, 2025a).
Most alarmingly, classified material appeared in the possession of a foreign allied government under CIA oversight, indicating unauthorized disclosure. The impacts of the violation are severe:
- Operational Disruption: SECRET//NOFORN material often includes intelligence methods or sources. Its disclosure risks forcing the CIA to abandon missions, reassign personnel, or cut ties with compromised sources, disrupting operations globally (U.S. Department of Justice, 2025b).
- Danger to Sources: If the material identified human intelligence sources, their security could be at risk, complicating future recruitment.
- Diplomatic Consequences: The NOFORN designation prohibits sharing with allies. Its exposure erodes trust in U.S. intelligence-sharing agreements, potentially weakening coalitions (U.S. Department of Justice, 2025b).
- Long-term Security Risks: Adversaries such as Russia or China could gain secondary access through espionage, amplifying the damage. The violation indicates to hostile nations that CIA insiders can be exploited, increasing future risks.
- Agency Morale and Reputation: Colleagues felt betrayed, and the scandal fuels adversarial propaganda portraying U.S. intelligence as corrupt (U.S. Department of Justice, 2025a).
The CIA terminated Bendler's contract in September 2020, but the delay in addressing previous suspicions exacerbated the damage. Bendler's guilty plea on April 23, 2025, carries a maximum sentence of seven years, with sentencing scheduled for July 16, 2025. He also forfeited $85,000 of his earnings (U.S. Department of Justice, 2025a).
Carlos Giménez: Countering China's Influence
U.S. Congressman Carlos Giménez, a pending speaker at Bendler's conference, is a key figure on the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. Representing Florida's 28th district, Giménez, a Cuban-born Republican, focuses on China's military, economic, and technological threats, particularly in Latin America. His work addresses China's control over ports near the Panama Canal, espionage bases in Cuba, and economic warfare through supply chain dominance. Legislative efforts like the Foreign Adversary Battery Dependency Decoupling Act and the Port Crane Security and Inspection Act of 2025 aim to counter China's influence in critical infrastructures (House Select Committee on the CCP, 2025). Giménez is also a member of the House Armed Services Committee and chairs the Subcommittee on National Security on Transportation and Maritime Security, addressing port security and supply chain vulnerabilities (U.S. House of Representatives, 2025).
Giménez's involvement in the conference, along with speakers like Carlos Diaz-Rosillo and Maria Werlau, underscores his relevance to the Cuban diaspora that Bendler exploited. However, the committee's focus on China as a singular threat may oversimplify global dynamics, often ignoring how U.S. policies contribute to tensions. Critics argue that decoupling measures risk economic consequences without addressing the root causes of dependency, although Giménez's work remains central to U.S. strategy (Smith, 2025).
Critical Perspective: Unveiling the Deceptions
The DOJ plea agreement presents Bendler as a greedy criminal, but the gaps raise questions. Why did the CIA delay action despite previous suspicions? The secrecy surrounding foreign clients and compromised material fuels speculation about the full extent of the violation (U.S. Department of Justice, 2025a). Bendler's clandestine operations in Miami reveal a calculated exploitation of the diaspora's trust, although the lack of specific charges in the plea agreement leaves the scam unverified. Giménez's committee work, while critical, risks oversimplifying China's role, potentially overlooking broader geopolitical complexities (Smith, 2025).
Lessons for National Security
Bendler's actions demand reforms:
- Enhanced Oversight: Real-time audits of access to classified systems and stricter oversight of contractors.
- Cultural Shift: Zero-tolerance policies for abuse of authority.
- Community Protection: Safeguards to prevent the exploitation of vulnerable groups like the Cuban diaspora.
The violation and Bendler's operations in Miami caution against the risks posed by deceptive insiders.
Conclusion: A Call for Accountability
Dale Bendler's nefarious clandestine operations in Miami, exploiting the Cuban-American diaspora through a canceled conference on China, reveal a pattern of deception that exacerbated the severe damage from his violation of SECRET//NOFORN. Carlos Giménez's work on the Select Committee on China highlights the importance of countering China's influence, a cause Bendler manipulated for personal gain. As Bendler awaits sentencing, the CIA must strengthen its defenses, and lawmakers like Giménez need to address global threats with nuance. Accountability and vigilance are essential to protect national security and vulnerable communities.
References
American Museum of the Cuban Diaspora. (2025). Brochure for the Conference China Economic Warfare in Latin America. Miami, FL: American Museum of the Cuban Diaspora.
House Select Committee on the CCP. (2025). About the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. Retrieved from https://selectcommitteeontheccp.house.gov/about
ONE.61 Personal Protective Techniques. (2025). About Us. Retrieved from https://one61.com/about
Smith, J. (2025, March 15). The Risks of Decoupling: A Critical Look at U.S. Policy Toward China. Foreign Policy Analysis Journal, 12(3), 45–60.
U.S. Department of Justice. (2025a). Plea Agreement: United States v. Dale Britt Bendler. U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
U.S. Department of Justice. (2025b). Press Release: Former CIA Officer Pleads Guilty to Mishandling Classified Information. Retrieved from https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-cia-officer-pleads-guilty-mishandling-classified-information
U.S. House of Representatives. (2025). Biography of Congressman Carlos Giménez. Retrieved from https://gimenez.house.gov/biography
Jesús Daniel Romero is a Retired Commander of U.S. Naval Intelligence. He has also completed prominent diplomatic and military missions for his country abroad.
He is the author of the Amazon best-seller "The final flight: the queen of air," where he recounts part of his experiences in the fight against drug cartels in Central America.
He is currently the Co-Founder and Senior Fellow of the Miami Strategic Intelligence Institute and a regular consulting personality on matters of his specialty for major media outlets in the state of Florida.
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