30 years ago today: Los Macheteros bank robbery

[The Third Man]

Amazing how time flies:

"White Eagle was the name given by Los Macheteros (a guerrilla group seeking Puerto Rican independence from the United States) to its robbery of a Wells Fargo depot on September 12, 1983, a day coinciding with the birth date of Puerto Rican Nationalist Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos. The robbery took place in West Hartford, Connecticut, and netted over $7 million. It was "then the largest cash heist in U.S. history"."

Victor Michael Gerena (the actual bank robber and the main subject of the UM episode) has never been caught. It's believed he fled to Cuba soon after the robbery. In 2010, Gerena passed Donald Eugene Webb (of course also a subject of a UM episode) as the longest-serving member of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List.

[DanCart]

Very good reminder ! This was HUGE at the time it happened , I bet Gerena is still smug about his "achievement" ......

[MegtheEgg86]

Is it really likely that he did actually end up in Cuba? I know Joanne Chesimard, aka Assata Shakur, is also strongly believed to be in Cuba as well. Does Cuba have a suspected history of providing something like asylum to politically high-profile American fugitives or something? I'm not attempting rhetoric here; I'm asking because I don't know.

While trying really, really carefully to keep from stirring a pot I would rather not stir, is there any cultural animosity between Puerto Ricans and Cubans? That is, would it be unusual for Cuba to accept a Puerto Rican fugitive merely because he or she is Puerto Rican? I ask out of complete ignorance on the issue.

[TracyLynnS]

Originally Posted by MegtheEgg86

Is it really likely that he did actually end up in Cuba? I know Joanne Chesimard, aka Assata Shakur, is also strongly believed to be in Cuba as well. Does Cuba have a suspected history of providing something like asylum to politically high-profile American fugitives or something? I'm not attempting rhetoric here; I'm asking because I don't know.

I think they did in the 70s and 80s. I remember recently reading about a guy from New York who thought because Shakur had gone to Cuba, he would be accepted too, and Castro would be delighted to have another anti-american-american on his side, but he was imprisoned instead. 15 years, I think.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...-Panthers.html

Quote: Almost 30-years-ago, William Potts hijacked a passenger airliner bound for Miami to fly him to Cuba where the Black Panther hoped he would be welcomed with open arms by fellow Marxist revolutionaries.

[rhzunam]

Originally Posted by MegtheEgg86

While trying really, really carefully to keep from stirring a pot I would rather not stir, is there any cultural animosity between Puerto Ricans and Cubans? That is, would it be unusual for Cuba to accept a Puerto Rican fugitive merely because he or she is Puerto Rican? I ask out of complete ignorance on the issue.

Cuba is sympathetic to Puerto Rican independence.

[MegtheEgg86]

Originally Posted by rhzunam

Cuba is sympathetic to Puerto Rican independence.

I figured that was probably the case but wanted to make sure. Thanks for clearing that up for me.

[DanCart]

Originally Posted by TracyLynnS

I think they did in the 70s and 80s. I remember recently reading about a guy from New York who thought because Shakur had gone to Cuba, he would be accepted too, and Castro would be delighted to have another anti-american-american on his side, but he was imprisoned instead. 15 years, I think.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...-Panthers.html

Quote: Almost 30-years-ago, William Potts hijacked a passenger airliner bound for Miami to fly him to Cuba where the Black Panther hoped he would be welcomed with open arms by fellow Marxist revolutionaries.

I`m not surprised Cuban authorities arrested this guy and tossed him in a slammer , if they had given him a heroes welcome it would have sent the wrong impression to left wing criminals and Cuba would have cheesed off a lot of governments for harboring fugitives which would have cost Castro a lot of political capital world wide .....

Another thing is- if Cuba welcomed such criminals and so-called revolutionaries and let them loose they could possibly have later carried out their mayhem on Cuban turf and against the Cuban gvt .... would you give a carjacker a ride even if they shared the same ideology as you ?

[Hops3098]

Last week, after more than 32 years, Victor Manuel Gerena was taken off the FBI's Top 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list. He was on the list for longer than anyone else.

Most of the cases where a fugitive has removed while still on the run seem to be age related, but some, like Kathy Power were deemed to no longer be a "particularly dangerous menace to society."

Speaking of Kathy Power, what do you think about the chances that Gerena is eventually caught? The consensus on the board seems to have been that he would never be caught because he fled to Cuba.

However, with the normalization of US-Cuban relations, and the death of Castro, I'd say this has to make Gerena's capture more likely now than it has been for the past few decades.