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Norberto González-Claudio

Released
Date of birth:27. 05. 1945
Age:81
Gender:Male
Race:Hispanic
Era:1980s
Inmate Number:#09864-000
State:Puerto Rico
Time Imprisoned:
3 Years 8 Months 5 Days
Support
Puerto Rican Independence Anti-Imperialism Communism
Norberto González-Claudio

Biography

Norberto González-Claudio was a Puerto Rican independence militant and a member of Los Macheteros, and the younger brother of fellow Machetero Avelino González-Claudio. He took part in the September 12, 1983 Wells Fargo armored-car expropriation in West Hartford, Connecticut, the Águila Blanca action that raised more than 7 million dollars for the Puerto Rican independence movement. He remained a fugitive for nearly three decades before being arrested in Puerto Rico in May 2011. He pleaded guilty in federal court in Hartford to conspiracy related to the 1983 robbery, as well as to a charge of possessing a machine gun at the time of his 2011 arrest. He was released from federal prison on January 15, 2015.

Norberto González Claudio, brother of Avelino, was the last major 1985 Wells Fargo indictee at large after the August 30, 1985 sweep. He lived as a fugitive in Puerto Rico for nearly 26 years before his capture by the FBI on May 10, 2011 near Cayey. Extradited to Connecticut, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy in the Wells Fargo robbery and was sentenced in 2013 to 5 years; released around 2014-2015. Norberto González Claudio was the brother of fellow Macheteros member Avelino González Claudio. He went underground after the August 30, 1985 mass FBI raid in Puerto Rico and lived in clandestinity for almost 26 years until his arrest in May 2011 in the central mountains of Puerto Rico. He pleaded guilty in 2012 to conspiracy related to the 1983 Wells Fargo expropriation and was sentenced to 5 years in federal prison. He was released in 2017.

The September 21, 2019 Grito de Lares march photo caption identifies González-Claudio with family among former political prisoners. This confirms post-release public activity; the caption does not identify each individual in the group well enough for an unambiguous new portrait crop.

The Dragons Fire, National Jericho Movement Newsletter, August 15–October 15, 2019, vol. 19, PDF page 4.

Cases

Charges: Conspiracy; foreign transportation of stolen money (Plan Tortuga prosecution).
Arrested: May 10, 2011
Sentenced: Nov 14, 2012
Incarcerated: May 10, 2011
Released: Jan 15, 2015
Sentence: Sixty months imposed November 14, 2012 for the Wells Fargo robbery case, concurrent with 37 months for the machine-gun count. Detained continuously from May 10, 2011 arrest and released January 15, 2015. This overlaps the other entry for the same prosecution and must not be summed twice.
Convicted: Yes
Charges: Conspiracy related to the 1983 Wells Fargo robbery; possession of a machine gun (2011)
Arrested: May 10, 2011
Sentenced: Nov 14, 2012
Incarcerated: May 10, 2011
Released: Jan 15, 2015
Sentence: Sixty months imposed November 14, 2012 for the Wells Fargo robbery case, concurrent with 37 months for the machine-gun count. Detained continuously from May 10, 2011 arrest and released January 15, 2015. This overlaps the other entry for the same prosecution and must not be summed twice.
Convicted: Yes