{"id":887,"date":"2026-05-22T14:09:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T14:09:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/?p=887"},"modified":"2026-05-22T14:09:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T14:09:11","slug":"co-defendant-listed-in-raul-castros-indictment-takes-plea-deal-in-separate-case-sister-of-cuban-official-arrested-in-miami","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/?p=887","title":{"rendered":"Co-defendant listed in Ra\u00fal Castro\u2019s indictment takes plea deal in separate case; sister of Cuban official arrested in Miami"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

MIAMI \u2014 New developments are unfolding in the federal case against former Cuban leader Ra\u00fal Castro as political and legal pressure on Cuba intensifies.<\/p>\n

Read more UK police renew call for witnesses as they broaden inquiry into former Prince Andrew<\/a><\/p>\n

Leer en espa\u00f1ol<\/p>\n

One of the co-defendants named in Castro\u2019s sweeping federal indictment has accepted a plea deal in a separate case he is charged in, Local 10 News learned Friday. <\/p>\n

Court records show pilot Luis Raul Gonzalez-Pardo Rodriguez is currently in custody in central Florida and will be sentenced next Thursday in Jacksonville. <\/p>\n

According to the New York Times, he pleaded guilty in January to immigration fraud charges.<\/p>\n

The latest legal movement comes as the United States increases its posture in the Caribbean, including the deployment of the USS Nimitz, one of the largest and most powerful warships in the world.<\/p>\n

The aircraft carrier \u2014 equipped with fighter jets, advanced weapons systems and extensive military technology \u2014 has recently sailed into the Caribbean at a time when the Trump administration appears to be taking a harder line against the Cuban government.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur preference is always a diplomatic solution, always, and a negotiated agreement,\u201d Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday during remarks on the growing tensions.<\/p>\n

At the same time, federal authorities in Miami on Thursday announced the arrest of Adys Lastres Morera, the sister of a top official connected to GAESA, the powerful military-run Cuban business conglomerate founded by Castro.<\/p>\n

In a post on X, Rubio blamed GAESA for contributing to Cuba\u2019s severe economic crisis, accusing the organization of controlling as much as 70% of the island\u2019s economy while funneling billions in illicit funds and diverting humanitarian aid intended for the Cuban people.<\/p>\n

Authorities say Morera was living and working in South Florida, primarily involved in real estate transactions allegedly tied to illicit cash flow from Cuba. Officials also allege she was in the United States illegally. She remains in ICE custody.<\/p>\n

Her arrest came just one day after federal prosecutors unveiled an indictment against the 94-year-old Castro in connection with the deaths of four men with ties to South Florida.<\/p>\n

Read more Atlantic hurricane season forecast to be milder than normal thanks to El Nino<\/a><\/p>\n

The developments have sparked renewed conversations within South Florida\u2019s Cuban exile community, where many are closely following the escalating tensions between Washington and Havana.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything over there is super corrupt,\u201d said Samantha Leyva, a South Florida resident with family still living in Cuba.<\/p>\n

Leyva said she views the recent actions by the U.S. government as a significant turning point.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s a really, really big step and a great step to finally having my island free,\u201d she said. \u201cI want to go back and see my family.\u201d<\/p>\n

Concerns are also growing over reports that Cuba has acquired hundreds of strike drones and that Russia has pledged support to the Cuban government if the United States were to take military action against the island.<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump suggested the current moment could lead to major political change in Cuba.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey want to invest in their country, see if they can bring it back,\u201d Trump said. \u201cOther presidents have looked at this for 50 or 60 years, and it looks like I\u2019ll be the one that does it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, some analysts believe meaningful change in Cuba may not happen without direct intervention.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are not going to flee,\u201d FIU Cuban Research Institute Interim Director Sebastian A. Arcos said of Cuba\u2019s leadership. \u201cThey are not going to be part of a dismantling of a regime that they have been putting together for the last 70 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Woman accused of performing dentistry without license at Miami-Dade home, deputies say<\/a><\/p>\n

Despite the uncertainty, some Cuban Americans remain hopeful.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou feel like freedom is close?\u201d Local 10\u2019s Terrell Forney asked Leyva.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do,\u201d she responded. \u201cI\u2019m keeping my fingers crossed.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New developments are unfolding in the federal case against former Cuban leader Ra\u00fal Castro as political and legal pressure on Cuba intensifies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":886,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-887","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nCo-defendant listed in Ra\u00fal Castro\u2019s indictment takes plea deal in separate case; sister of Cuban official arrested in Miami - South Florida Moving Guides<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/?p=887\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Co-defendant listed in Ra\u00fal Castro\u2019s indictment takes plea deal in separate case; 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