Havana , Cuba ( CNN ) -- American government contractor Alan Gross went on trial in Cuba Friday in a case that appears to have derailed a tentative rapprochement between the long-estranged countries . Cuba claims Gross -- a subcontractor for the U.S. Agency for International Development -- imported illegal satellite equipment to connect dissidents to the internet . He would face up to 20 years in prison if found guilty . The United States says he was helping the Jewish community improve communications . Gross on Friday was driven into the private drive of the courthouse , located in a converted mansion in a residential neighborhood of Havana . His wife , Judy , arrived on foot . Three U.S. officials also took seats in the courtroom as observers . Gross was held for more than a year before Cuban authorities formally charged him with acts against the country 's independence last month . Judy Gross has appealed to Cuba to release him on humanitarian grounds . `` Alan 's 88-year-old mother has just been diagnosed with lung cancer , '' she said in a written statement . `` As I deal with that reality and our 26-year-old daughter 's recovery from a double mastectomy , I can only continue to hope for Alan 's return and beg the Cuban government to free Alan . '' He `` is an incredibly loving father , '' she noted in a video recording released shortly after her husband 's arrest . `` We 've been married 40 years . His daughters miss him terribly . '' In a December 2009 speech , Cuban President Raul Castro said Gross was illegally distributing `` satellite communications equipment '' to dissidents . `` The U.S. government has not renounced its goal of destroying the revolution , '' he said . `` The enemy is as active as always . Proof of that is the detention , in the last few days , of an American citizen . '' In a video that recently surfaced on the Web and that appears to be a leaked Cuban intelligence briefing , a speaker accuses Gross of using satellite phones to set up wi-fi hotspots . The arrest put relations between the United States and Cuba back in a deep freeze despite initial signs of a thaw under President Barack Obama . U.S. officials sharply criticized the charges against Gross after they were announced last month . `` We deplore the Cuban government 's announcement that Cuban prosecutors intend to seek a 20-year sentence for Mr . Gross , '' said Gloria Berbena , public affairs officer for the U.S. diplomatic mission in Havana . The White House also chimed in , claiming that Gross `` has been unjustly detained and deprived of his liberty . '' `` Instead of releasing Mr . Gross , so he can come home to his wife and family , today 's decision by Cuban authorities compounds the injustice suffered by a man helping to increase the free flow of information to , from and among people , '' then-White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said in a statement . Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters Friday that Gross had been `` unjustly jailed for far too long . '' He needs to be able to leave Cuba and return home , she said . This is a matter `` of great personal pain '' to his family and concern to the U.S. government . Foreign diplomats have speculated that Cuba will find Gross guilty , but could release him fairly quickly on humanitarian grounds .
Cuba says Alan Gross imported illegal satellite equipment . He is charged with acts against Cuba 's independence . The U.S. says Gross was helping the Jewish community improve communications . Comment: