White Eagle: the Wells Fargo depot robbery
Encyclopedia
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 12 September 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."
). According to the Macheteros, part of the money was given to the poor communities of Puerto Rico to fund education, food, housing, clothing and toys for children. According to prosecutors, the money was used to finance Los Macheteros. About $80,000 in what was believed to be stolen money was seized by F.B.I. agents in searches in Puerto Rico and Boston. The federal government contends that the group spent about one million, moved more than two million to Cuba, and hid $4 million in safe deposit boxes, certificates of deposit, savings accounts and farmhouse cellars in Puerto Rico.
, one of the leaders of the group, was sentenced to 65 years in prison. In 1999, he was one of the FALN members whose sentences were commuted by President Bill Clinton. Filiberto Ojeda Rios
was sentenced in absentia
to 55 years in prison. His lawyer stated that Ojeda jumped bail because he did not think he could get a fair trial. In a case that drew criticism from the government of Puerto Rico, Ojeda was shot and killed in a shootout when the FBI raided his hideout in Puerto Rico in 2005.
According to one of the group members, the federal officials prosecuting the case, in recognition of the international right of peoples of colonized countries to armed fight for their independence, never asked for the return of the money, and that some of the defendants were given either light or no sentences. The group asserts that the money was not used for personal gain, but to further the struggle for Puerto Rico's independence.
In 2010, Avelino González-Claudio
was sentenced for his part in planning the robbery to seven years in prison and "ordered to pay back the money", according to The Hartford Courant
.
Victor Manuel Gerena
is still at large and listed as one the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
) to its robbery of a Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational diversified financial services company with operations around the world. Wells Fargo is the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by assets and the largest bank by market capitalization. Wells Fargo is the second largest bank in deposits, home...
depot on 12 September 1983, a day coinciding with the birth date of Puerto Rican Nationalist Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos
Pedro Albizu Campos
Don Pedro Albizu Campos was a Puerto Rican politician and one of the leading figures in the Puerto Rican independence movement. He was the leader and president of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party from 1930 until his death...
. The robbery took place in West Hartford
West Hartford, Connecticut
West Hartford is a town located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The town was incorporated in 1854. Prior to that date, the town was a parish of Hartford....
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, and netted over $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
7 million. It was "then the largest cash heist
Heist
A heist is a term used to describe a robbery from an institution such as a bank or a museum, or any robbery in which there is a large haul of loot.Heist in fiction may refer to:*Heist , directed by David Mamet...
in U.S. history."
The money
The group's code name for the robbery was "White Eagle" (or Águila Blanca in SpanishSpanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
). According to the Macheteros, part of the money was given to the poor communities of Puerto Rico to fund education, food, housing, clothing and toys for children. According to prosecutors, the money was used to finance Los Macheteros. About $80,000 in what was believed to be stolen money was seized by F.B.I. agents in searches in Puerto Rico and Boston. The federal government contends that the group spent about one million, moved more than two million to Cuba, and hid $4 million in safe deposit boxes, certificates of deposit, savings accounts and farmhouse cellars in Puerto Rico.
Charges
The FBI charges for this robbery include: obstruction of commerce by robbery and conspiracy, bank robbery, aggravated robbery, theft from interstate shipment, foreign and interstate transportation of stolen money, and conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery.Sentences
Juan Segarra PalmerJuan Enrique Segarra-Palmer
Juan Enrique Segarra-Palmer is a Puerto Rican Nationalist who became eligible for release from prison five years after accepting President Bill Clinton's clemency offer on September 7, 1999. He had received a sentence of 55 years for seditious conspiracy, and weapons and conspiracy charges, along...
, one of the leaders of the group, was sentenced to 65 years in prison. In 1999, he was one of the FALN members whose sentences were commuted by President Bill Clinton. Filiberto Ojeda Rios
Filiberto Ojeda Ríos
Filiberto Ojeda Ríos was the commander-in-chief of the Boricua Popular Army , a clandestine paramilitary organization that considers United States rule over Puerto Rico to be oppressive colonization and advocates the latter's independence.Ojeda Ríos was a...
was sentenced in absentia
In absentia
In absentia is Latin for "in the absence". In legal use, it usually means a trial at which the defendant is not physically present. The phrase is not ordinarily a mere observation, but suggests recognition of violation to a defendant's right to be present in court proceedings in a criminal trial.In...
to 55 years in prison. His lawyer stated that Ojeda jumped bail because he did not think he could get a fair trial. In a case that drew criticism from the government of Puerto Rico, Ojeda was shot and killed in a shootout when the FBI raided his hideout in Puerto Rico in 2005.
According to one of the group members, the federal officials prosecuting the case, in recognition of the international right of peoples of colonized countries to armed fight for their independence, never asked for the return of the money, and that some of the defendants were given either light or no sentences. The group asserts that the money was not used for personal gain, but to further the struggle for Puerto Rico's independence.
In 2010, Avelino González-Claudio
Avelino González-Claudio
Avelino González-Claudio is a Puerto Rican independence activist serving time in a U.S. federal prison for his participation in an armored truck robbery planned by Los Macheteros. Although the robbery took place in 1983, González-Claudio was not apprehended until 2008...
was sentenced for his part in planning the robbery to seven years in prison and "ordered to pay back the money", according to The Hartford Courant
The Hartford Courant
The Hartford Courant is the largest daily newspaper in the U.S. state of Connecticut, and is a morning newspaper for most of the state north of New Haven and east of Waterbury...
.
Victor Manuel Gerena
Victor Manuel Gerena
Víctor Manuel Gerena is an American fugitive wanted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the armed robbery, in connection with the Los Macheteros group, of a Wells Fargo armored car facility. On May 14, 1984, he became the 386th fugitive to be placed on the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted...
is still at large and listed as one the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives
FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives
The FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list arose from a conversation held in late 1949 between J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation, and William Kinsey Hutchinson, International News Service Editor-in-Chief, who were discussing ways to promote capture of the...
.