American contractor imprisoned in Cuba since 2009 cannot endure another year, says wife

WASHINGTON, Dec. 3 (UPI) -- Alan Gross, a contractor for the U.S. Agency for International Development, has been imprisoned in Cuba since 2009 and his wife says he won't last another year.

"After five years of literally wasting away, Alan is done," Judy Gross said in a statement released Wednesday, marking the anniversary of her husband's arrest.

Gross had been in Cuba on a USAID contract and was distributing communications equipment to Jewish groups when he was arrested in 2009, accused of espionage and convicted of crimes against the Cuban state. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

His health has reportedly deteriorated significantly in that time, with the loss of more than 100 pounds and all but one of his teeth, damage to his hip that limits mobility and blindness in one eye.

"Alan is resolved that he will not endure another year imprisoned in Cuba, and I am afraid that we are at the end," said his wife, adding "It is time for President Obama to bring Alan back to the United States now; otherwise it will be too late."

U.S. officials have dismissed a proposal made by the Cuban government to release Gross in exchange for three Cuban intelligence agents imprisoned in the U.S., citing the fact that Gross was an aid worker and not a spy.

The U.S. Department of State issued a statement in recognition of the fifth anniversary of Gross' arrest. In it, the State Department chastised Cuba for punishing Gross "for facilitating uncensored Internet contact between a small, religious community on the island and the rest of the world."

"We reiterate our call on the Cuban government, echoing foreign leaders and even Cuba's allies, to release Gross immediately," deputy State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said Tuesday.

Last year, Gross wrote a letter to President Barack Obama via the U.S. diplomatic mission in Havana seeking the president's help in securing his release.

"I have carried out missions on behalf of my country with pride, even in the face of risks to my safety. I do so because I believed in my country, in my government. I still want to believe that my government values my life and my service... I refuse to accept that my country would leave me behind."

Obama and the National Security Council "are working on a solution," ABC News reported Wednesday, citing White House sources, though no further details or timetable were provided.