A Cuban Air Force pilot tied to the Brothers to the Rescue shootdown 30 years ago was inside a Florida courtroom on Thursday.
But this case was tied to immigration fraud, not the Brothers to the Rescue shootdown in which former Cuban leader Raúl Castro was just indicted by federal officials last week.
CBS News Miami learned late Thursday morning that 65-year-old Luis Raul Gonzalez-Pardo Rodriguez was sentenced to seven months in jail, but will likely only spend about 10 days in jail.
That’s because he’s already been in federal custody for six months.
But CBS News Miami also learned he will likely be taken into custody yet again to face more serious charges connected to the Brothers to the Rescue shootdown.
Luis Raul Gonzalez-Pardo Rodriguez pleaded guilty to the immigration charge in January. He failed to disclose that he was a member of the Cuban Air Force for nearly 30 years on immigration forms.
He was also named in the federal indictment against Raúl Castro for the Brothers to the Rescue plane shootdown.
He and three other pilots are accused of engaging in “training missions using Cuban military aircraft to find, track, pursue and intercept small, civilian aircraft off the coast of Cuba” in the leadup to the Brothers tot he Rescue plane shootdown.
Given the recent federal indictment, Gonzalez-Pardo is expected to stand trial in Miami at a future date.
CBS News Miami also reached out to his attorney in Jacksonville for more information.