Avelino González-Claudio

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is González and the second or maternal family name is Claudio.

Avelino González-Claudio (October 8, 1942, Vega Baja, Puerto Rico – July 9, 2019) was a Puerto Rican independence activist who served time in a U.S. federal prison for his participation in the more than US$7 million (equivalent to more than $21.4 million in 2023) Águila Blanca armored truck robbery planned by Los Macheteros.[1] 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 US$7 million (equivalent to more than $21.4 million in 2023).[2] The robbery, code-named "Águila Blanca" ("White Eagle"), was "the largest cash heist in U.S. history" at the time of its commission.[3][4]

Arrests

In 1985, González-Claudio was accused in absentia of having planned the robbery as a member of Los Macheteros.[5] 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.[4] 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] During his time as a fugitive he communicated with his wife via correspondence.[10]

In May 2011, his brother Norberto González-Claudio was arrested for his participation in the robbery.[11] Norberto was released on January 15, 2015.[12]

Death

Avelino Gonzalez-Claudio died on July 9, 2019.[13]

See also

• Oscar López Rivera
• Carlos Alberto Torres
• Juan Enrique Segarra-Palmer
• Edwin Cortes
• Pedro Albizu Campos
• Oscar Collazo
• Lolita Lebrón
• Puerto Rican independence movement

References

1. 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.
2. "No divulgan evidencia incautada en caso de machetero". 11 May 2011.
3. 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.)
4. 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.
5. "FBI Fugitive - Avelino Gonzalez-Claudio". www.fbi.gov. Archived from the original on 15 September 2004. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
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. Díaz Alcaida, Maritza (March 24, 2015). "Tus noticias Escondido a plena vista". Primera Hora (in Spanish). Retrieved September 8, 2023 – via PressReader.com.
11. Marrero, Rosita (11 May 2011). "No divulgan evidencia incautada en caso de machetero" (in Spanish). Primera Hora. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
12. "Inmate Locator". BOP. February 28, 2021. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
13. "Muere el ex prisionero político Avelino González Claudio". El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). July 9, 2019. Retrieved September 8, 2023.