Fugitive
for 25 Years Also Admits Illegal Possession of Machine Gun
The United States Attorneys for the
District of Connecticut and the District of Puerto Rico announced that Norberto
Gonzalez-Claudio, 67, pleaded guilty today before Senior United States District
Judge Alfred V. Covello in Hartford to federal charges related to his
involvement in a 1983 armored truck robbery of approximately $7 million in West
Hartford, Connecticut, and a separate charge of illegally possessing a machine
gun at the time of his arrest in May 2011.
“After more than a quarter century on
the run, this defendant has admitted his guilt to charges related a $7 million
armored truck robbery,” stated U.S. Attorney Fein. “I commend the FBI in
Connecticut and Puerto Rico, as well as the U.S. Marshals Service, for never
resting in investigating this case and apprehending the remaining fugitives.
Their combined efforts demonstrate the resolve of law enforcement in the
pursuit of justice.”
“Today’s plea is the result of an
investigation that has spanned nearly 30 years and underscores the FBI’s
tireless pursuit of justice,” stated Kimberly K. Mertz, Special Agent in Charge
of the FBI in Connecticut. “The collaborative efforts of the FBI in San Juan
and New Haven, and in all divisions of the FBI, will continue until all
involved in the ‘Wells Fargo robbery’ are brought to justice.”
According to court documents and
statements made in court, Gonzalez-Claudio conspired with others to rob
approximately $7 million in cash from the Wells Fargo Armored Service
Corporation in West Hartford and to transport the stolen money to Mexico. In
pleading guilty, Gonzalez-Claudio acknowledged that he and other
co-conspirators approved and authorized the robbery, which occurred on
September 12, 1983.
During previous trials of several
co-defendants, the government introduced evidence that the robbery was
perpetrated to fund the activities of Los Macheteros, a clandestine
organization that seeks Puerto Rican independence. Gonzalez-Claudio pleaded
guilty to count 12 of a superseding indictment, which charged him with foreign
transportation of stolen money, and count 16, which charged him with conspiracy
to rob federally insured bank funds, to commit theft from interstate shipment,
and to transport stolen money in interstate and foreign commerce.
Gonzalez-Claudio also pleaded guilty to
one count of illegal possession of a machine gun, which was found in his
residence following his arrest in Cayey, Puerto Rico, on May 10, 2011.
Gonzalez-Claudio had been a fugitive for more than 25 years. He has been
detained since his arrest.
Judge Covello has scheduled sentencing
for September 27, 2012, at which time Gonzalez-Claudio faces a maximum term of
imprisonment of 15 years and a fine of up to $20,000 on the Wells Fargo robbery
charges and a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a fine of up to
$250,000 on the machine gun charge. In a binding plea agreement, subject to
approval by the court, the parties have agreed that a sentence of five years’
imprisonment on the Wells Fargo charges and a concurrent sentence of 37 months
of imprisonment on the machine gun charge is an appropriate disposition of this
case.
Of the 19 defendants charged in this
case, one fugitive, Victor Manuel Gerena, is still being sought. Gerena is
alleged to have carried out the armed robbery in West Hartford. The FBI is
offering a reward of up to $1 million for information leading directly to
Gerena’s arrest (http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/topten/victor-manuel-gerena/view).
As to Gerena, U.S. Attorney Fein
stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only
allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven
guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by the
Federal Bureau of Investigation in New Haven and San Juan, with the assistance
of the United States Marshals Service. The case is being prosecuted by
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Henry K. Kopel and Paul H. McConnell and by Special
Assistant U.S. Attorney Leonard C. Boyle of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the
District of Connecticut and by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ilianys Rivera Miranda
of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico.
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