Washington, October 14: A US judge in Miami has reduced the sentence of a Cuban spy to almost 22 years in prison and five years on probation from the previous life sentence, which was deemed too harsh.
Antonio Guerrero, 50, along with four others, was arrested in 1998 and all were convicted three years later. Three of them received life sentences and the other two were given sentences of between 15 and 19 years. All were charged with gathering and relaying US military information to Cuba.
At the time, Cuba acknowledged the men were agents but claimed they were working to stop terrorist attacks on Cuban soil. Havana says they are political prisoners and has lobbied intensely for their release.
The high-profile case has been an obstacle to improving Washington’s strained relations with Havana.
Federal Judge Joan Lenard of the Federal Court in Miami reduced Guerrero’s life sentence to 262 months (21 years, 10 months) and five years probation. Guerrero committed “very serious offenses against the US,” the judge said.
“The government did not present evidence that the defendant obtained top secret information, but he worked to obtain such information,” Lenard stated.
Guerrero’s attorney, Leonard Weinglass, said he was surprised with the court decision since it was not what he expected.
—–Agencies