Cuban soldier accused along with Raúl Castro of immigration fraud in the US is convicted in Florida

A federal court in Jacksonville, Florida, sentenced former Cuban pilot Luis Raúl González-Pardo Rodríguez to seven months in prison this Thursday, accused of immigration fraud. and recently identified by the United States Department of Justice as one of those involved in the downing of the planes of the Hermanos al Rescate organization in 1996.

The sentence comes just a week after federal prosecutors announced an indictment against former Cuban president Raúl Castro. and five other former Cuban military personnel for the death of four airmen, three US citizens and one apt resident, during the downing of two civil aircraft over international waters.

According to the US Department of Justice, the charges include murder, conspiracy to kill US citizens and destruction of aircraft.

According to court documents cited by local media, González-Pardo Rodríguez pleaded guilty to lying on immigration forms and providing false information to federal officials during his process to obtain immigration benefits in the United States. The CBS network reported that the former military man hid that he had belonged to the Cuban Revolutionary Air Force for almost three decades.

The Department of Justice noted in an official statement that “more than three decades later, we remain committed to holding accountable those who participated in the murders of four brave Americans.” During the presentation of the accusation in Miami, acting prosecutor Todd Blanche stated: “The United States and President Trump do not, and will not, forget their citizens.”

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