Avelino González-Claudio

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In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is González and the second or maternal family name is Claudio.
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Avelino González-Claudio (born October 8, 1942 or August 15, 1943 in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico[1]) is a Puerto Rican independence activist who served time in a U.S. federal prison for his participation in an armored truck robbery planned by Los Macheteros.[2] Although the robbery took place in 1983, González-Claudio was not apprehended until 25 years later, in 2008. After pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery, González-Claudio was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2010. He was released three years later, in 2013.

The robbery

On September 12, 1983, a Wells Fargo armored truck in Hartford, Connecticut, was robbed of more than $7 million.[3] The robbery, code-named "White Eagle", was "the largest cash heist in U.S. history" at the time of its commission.[4][5]

Arrests

In 1985, González-Claudio was accused in absentia of having planned the robbery as a member of Los Macheteros. González-Claudio was apprehended in 2008, after more than 20 years as a fugitive and during which time he had adopted an alias that allowed him to work as a teacher in Puerto Rico.[5] He pleaded guilty to conspiracy for robbery and, in 2010, was sentenced to seven years in prison.[6][7] Prosecutors argued for the necessity of a substantial sentence in spite of González-Claudio's age and Parkinson's disease, fearing that he could still be influential in the Los Macheteros organization, as authorities had found in February 2008 "documents in Gonzalez-Claudio's home that they say showed he was still involved with the group."[8] Gonzalez-Claudio was released from prison on 5 February 2013.[9]

In May 2011, his brother Norberto González-Claudio was arrested for his participation in the robbery.[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ "FBI Fugitive - Avelino Gonzalez-Claudio". www.fbi.gov. Archived from the original on 15 September 2004. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  2. ^ La Prensa San Diego. By Marjorie Cohn. The Incarceration of Carlos Alberto Torres: After 30 Years in Prison, the Puerto Rican Political Prisoner Will Be Freed.. Vol. XXXIII. July 30, 2010.
  3. ^ "No divulgan evidencia incautada en caso de machetero". 11 May 2011.
  4. ^ Filiberto Ojeda Ríos (obituary), The Economist, September 29, 2005. Accessed April 5, 2006. (The Economist Printed edition: October 1, 2005; Vol. 377; Issue 8446; Page 82.)
  5. ^ a b The Hartford (Connecticut, USA) Courant. February 8, 2008. "Wells Fargo Fugitive Captured: Suspect Allegedly Transported Cash From $7 Million Robbery To Mexico" By Edmund H. Mahony, Courant Staff Writer Retrieved November 30, 2009.
  6. ^ FoxNews. Puerto Rican nationalist sentenced to 7 years for 1983 Wells Fargo robbery in Conn. May 26, 2010.
  7. ^ Puerto Rico Daily Sun. Political prisoner to be released. July 17, 2010.
  8. ^ Machetero The Hartford (Connecticut, USA), Courant. May 26, 2010. "Machetero Gets 7 Years For 1983 Wells Fargo Robbery" by Alaine Griffin, Courant Staff Writer, Accessed September 9, 2010.
  9. ^ U.S. Department of Justice. Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
  10. ^ Marrero, Rosita (11 May 2011). "No divulgan evidencia incautada en caso de machetero" (in Spanish). Primera Hora. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
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