Chocolate cake recipe’ used to disguise DOJ files, former federal prosecutor charged<\/a><\/p>\nMiami is home to the largest Cuban exile community in the united states, including families directly tied to the 1996 \u201cbrothers to the rescue\u201d shootdown case at the center of the indictment. the victims were closely connected to that exile community, giving this case lasting emotional weight for many in South Florida.<\/p>\n
Brothers to the Rescue was a Miami-based humanitarian group that searched for Cuban rafters fleeing the island during the 1990s migration crisis. in 1996, Cuban fighter jets shot down two of the group\u2019s civilian planes, killing four men. federal prosecutors now allege Ra\u00fal Castro ordered the attack.<\/p>\n
For many Cuban Americans in South Florida, the case represents decades of unresolved anger toward the Castro government, a demand for accountability, and symbolic justice for exile families who fled communist Cuba.<\/p>\n
Cuban-Americans living in Palm Beach County said the indictment marks what they see as long-overdue accountability.<\/p>\n
\u201cNations and their leaders cannot be permitted to target Americans, kill them and not face accountability,\u201d Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said.<\/p>\n
Across the region \u2014 including in West Palm Beach \u2014 people gathered and shared their reactions, with many calling the decision a step toward justice.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the beginning for finally Cubans be free,\u201d said Susana Lopez-Gonzalez, a Palm Beach County resident who says the news hits close to home with family still in Cuba.<\/p>\n
Others say like Noemy Sanchez who is originally from Guatemala said the moment resonates beyond the Cuban community.<\/p>\n
\u201cFinally this government is doing something for them, and I\u2019m very happy because I believe they suffered so much,\u201d said Sanchez.<\/p>\n
For some, the announcement is not just about justice \u2014 but hope for change.<\/p>\n
\u201cFinally my country is going to be free,\u201d said Margarita Mora. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be little steps, but for me, so far it\u2019s a big step.\u201d<\/p>\n
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier also weighed in, praising the move and criticizing Cuba\u2019s government.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve seen where communism has brought us,\u201d Uthmeier said.<\/p>\n
U.S. Senator Rick Scott called the indictment \u201ca good day for America\u201d and \u201ca good day for Cuba.\u201d<\/p>\n
Federal officials say the charges come out of a Miami grand jury indictment and are part of broader efforts to hold Cuban leadership accountable as pressure on Havana continues.<\/p>\n
For many in South Florida, the development is deeply personal \u2014 a moment tied to decades of loss, advocacy and the hope that change could still come to Cuba.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) \u2014 Emotional reactions are pouring in across South Florida after the United States…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":279201,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29],"class_list":["post-279200","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/279200","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=279200"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/279200\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/279201"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=279200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=279200"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=279200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}