Cuban Pilot Sentenced to Seven Months in Immigration Fraud Case Linked to Castro Indictment

A Cuban pilot, Luis Raúl González-Pardo Rodríguez, was sentenced to seven months in prison for immigration fraud after lying about his Cuban military background to obtain permanent residency in the U.S.; he’s expected to serve about 10 more days. The sentence is separate from but connected to a broader indictment of Raúl Castro over the 1996 downing of two U.S. civilian planes, which also involves co-defendant Lorenzo Alberto Pérez Pérez. González-Pardo Rodríguez, who arrived in the U.S. in 2023 under humanitarian parole, had pleaded guilty to the immigration charges in February. The judge noted the cases are independent but hinted at possible transfer to the Southern District of Florida for the ongoing Castro-related prosecutions.